Against Me! Frontwoman Laura Jane Grace Burns Birth Certificate at North Carolina Show
Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace burned her birth certificate last night (May 15) while performing in North Carolina. The act was in protest to the state’s newly-passed HB2 law, which can prevent transgender individuals from using public restrooms of their gender identity.
Laura Jane Grace was born Thomas James Gabel in 1980. Grace had suffered with gender dysphoria since childhood, finally coming out as a transgender woman in 2012. The lifelong struggle materialized as Against Me!’s sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, in 2014.
Acts like Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr recently cancelled performances in North Carolina in protest of the bathroom bill, while Against Me! chose to protest the bill by actually playing in North Carolina. At the Motorco Music Hall in Durham, N.C., Grace’s burning of her birth certificate was caught on film. Part of why the burning of the birth certificate was such a strong statement is that the North Carolina bill requires transgendered people to use the restroom that mirrors the sex identified on their birth certificate, which may not be the gender they currently identify as.
Grace’s burning was met with uproarious applause as she stated, “Bye, gender!”
Against Me! have a few weeks off from touring before hitting the road once again in June. For all of Against Me!’s dates, click here.