Photo: Press
Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace has opened up about her transgender struggles and coming to terms with gender dysphoria on their latest album.
The frontwoman, who came out as transgender two years ago, was born as Tom Gabel and has performed with Florida punk rockers Against Me! since 1997.
Now, speaking to Billboard, Grace has opened up about the freedom of singing about her real self on their latest album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues.
"This isn't the first time on an Against Me! record that I've written songs dealing with those feelings, but it's the first time that I think I'm able to be interpreted correctly or being able to be taken from the correct perspective," she said. "So there was a lack of frustration going into this record that's a really good feeling."
Discussing the album's title, she said: "It's pretty self-explanatory. I'm a person who's going through gender transition and a lot of the record was written leading up to the decision to embrace that and to go public with that - in my private life and in my public life."
Grace added: "I've dealt with gender dysphoria as early as I could remember. The decision to fully transition was something that took a long time to come to for sure. And it was something that I struggled with for a long time, but I got there at the end."
Watch the video for 'Black Me Out' by Against Me! below
Against Me! are among the latest wave of acts to be added to Download Festival 2014. They will be joining headliners Avenged Sevenfold, Aerosmith and Linkin Park (Hybrid Theory set), with support from Rob Zombie, Fall Out Boy, Alter Bridge, the Offspring, Status Quo, Steel Panther and Trivium.
Download will hit Donnington park on 13-15 June with tickets expected to sell out. For more information and to purchase yours head to the Gigwise Gig Section.
Below: Photos of Against Me, Smashing Pupkins and Cypress Hill in Arizona
