https://twitter.com/kwymer6/status/732040259203125252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Gainesville punk-rockers Against Me! said they would take a different route from many musicians when they opted to carry on with their scheduled concert in North Carolina, even after the state’s controversial bathroom bill became law. Now, we know why. During their show in Durham, the band’s trans frontwoman Laura Jane Grace burned her birth certificate onstage to demonstrate exactly what she feels about how we frame gender at large.
“Goodbye, gender!” Grace said as she waved to the flaming certificate in her hand.
Grace has been an advocate and public face for the trans community since coming out as trans in 2012. Grace and the rest of the band donated their guarantee for the show to an LGBT center in North Carolina, and used the show as a gathering point for activists and charities within the state.
Grace has also been very open about the problems she faces while living as a trans woman. She recorded an entire album based around the process of transitioning, admitted that she attempted suicide after coming out, and recently co-wrote a memoir called Tranny with the help of journalist Dan Ozzi.
Though Grace’s birth gender is no more, the bathroom laws live on. Countless activist organizations, musicians and companies are finding clever ways to combat the law while it remains on the books. And all the clamor appears to be working, as the Department of Justice is looking to strike down the law.
(Via Consequence of Sound)
