Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace Protests HB2 with Fire
There has been plenty of talk about North Carolina’s controversial House Bill 2 in the news and on the internet since it was introduced. The law forces transgender people to use bathrooms that match the sex stated on their birth certificates.
Plenty of musicians have been protesting HB2, but one of the loudest has been Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace. In 2012, Grace announced she was transgender and began her transition from Tom Gabel to Laura Jane Grace.
On May 15, when Against Me! performed in Durham, Grace announced “Goodbye gender!” while burning her birth certificate on stage.
I guess gender really is over since @LauraJaneGrace said goodbye to gender! #genderisover pic.twitter.com/EHXZJbMnM2
— Kathryn Wymer (@kwymer6) May 16, 2016
When HB2 was introduced earlier this year, Grace was advised to cancel an Against Me! concert in Durham, North Carolina. Grace’s response on Twitter was:
It was suggested to me in an interview that we might cancel our May 15th show in Durham, NC because of the states HB2 bill. Hell no! (1/2)
— Laura Jane Grace (@LauraJaneGrace) March 30, 2016
I'm even more eager to play North Carolina 'cause of the bill! Let me know if there's any activist groups that can come table the show (2/2)
— Laura Jane Grace (@LauraJaneGrace) March 30, 2016
She argues that visibility is more important than hiding right now and said to Buzzfeed in April: “”I think the real danger with HB2 is that it creates a target on transgender people specifically. “When you feel targeted as a trans person, the natural inclination is to go into hiding. But visibility is more important than ever; to go there and have the platform of a stage to stand on and speak your mind and represent yourself”.
