Gloria Gaynor is setting the record straight about her stance on an important but polarizing subject: feminism.
In a new interview with Metro published Monday (May 5), the disco legend revealed that she does not identify as a feminist when asked what people often get wrong about her. “The biggest misconception about me? It may be dangerous to say this, but that I’m a feminist,” she said.
“People say it to me, ‘And since you’re a feminist …,’” she continued. “Uh, no. Not really. I love men.”
Noting that she grew up with five brothers, Gaynor added, “I love men who know who they are and are strong enough to take their place, but also strong enough to recognize a woman’s strengths and … allow her to exercise those strengths and realize that we are to be partners and not opponents.”
So, there you have it: Gaynor, whose Billboard Hot 100-topping 1978 smash “I Will Survive” is widely regarded as one of the most iconic feminist anthems of all time, does not consider herself a feminist. Her comments have already sparked pushback online, with many people pointing out that, despite her implication, loving men and feminism are not mutually exclusive. By definition, feminism is the “belief in and advocacy of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests,” according to Merriam-Webster.
“So Gloria Gaynor doesn’t know what feminist is … got it,” one person wrote on X.
“So Gloria Gaynor isn’t a feminist because she loves men?” wrote another user. “Feminism isn’t anti-man, it’s just pro-human rights. But sure, let’s ignore that. i love men and I‘m still a feminist.”
Billboard has reached out to Gaynor’s rep for comment.
The Grammy winner’s new interview comes a few weeks after she announced that her new EP, Happy Tears, will arrive June 6. The first taste of the five-track project came in February, when Gaynor dropped single “Fida Known,” which she told Metro is her favorite song of the bunch.
“The song is all about helping people to look back on the things that they’ve overcome and to recognize what they’ve come through,” she told the UK publication. “It’s, ‘If I’d have known this, I wouldn’t have done that,’ but you didn’t know that, and you still made it through.”
Gaynor added, “The song sort of continues where ‘I Will Survive’ left off.”
