Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace recently explained her decision to keep her band on the bill for a show in North Carolina, despite the state's recently passed laws discriminating against transgender people.
Against Me! played in Durham, NC, last night (May 15) to protest the "bathroom bill," but turning up to play wasn't even the biggest political statement of the evening. During the band's set, Grace paused to publicly set fire to her birth certificate. She grinned as the piece of paper went up in flames, saying: "Goodbye, gender."
The controversial House Bill 2 was passed in North Carolina earlier this year. It declares that transgender people must use public bathrooms that correspond with the biological sex listed on their birth certificate. It also allows businesses to uphold or reinstate policies against sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination.
The legislation prompted high-profile artists like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr to cancel concerts in North Carolina to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
Grace previously spoke on her decision to keep Against Me!'s scheduled date in Durham, telling the Washington Post, "What something like HB 2 does is it makes trans people fearful, and when you're being made a target, the natural inclination is to go into hiding. That's why going there now and being visible is all the more important."
Grace will release a memoir about her life, band and experience with gender dysphoria later this year. It's titled Tranny and is due out on November 15.
Watch fan shot footage of the singer burning her birth certificate below.
Against Me! played in Durham, NC, last night (May 15) to protest the "bathroom bill," but turning up to play wasn't even the biggest political statement of the evening. During the band's set, Grace paused to publicly set fire to her birth certificate. She grinned as the piece of paper went up in flames, saying: "Goodbye, gender."
The controversial House Bill 2 was passed in North Carolina earlier this year. It declares that transgender people must use public bathrooms that correspond with the biological sex listed on their birth certificate. It also allows businesses to uphold or reinstate policies against sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination.
The legislation prompted high-profile artists like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr to cancel concerts in North Carolina to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
Grace previously spoke on her decision to keep Against Me!'s scheduled date in Durham, telling the Washington Post, "What something like HB 2 does is it makes trans people fearful, and when you're being made a target, the natural inclination is to go into hiding. That's why going there now and being visible is all the more important."
Grace will release a memoir about her life, band and experience with gender dysphoria later this year. It's titled Tranny and is due out on November 15.
Watch fan shot footage of the singer burning her birth certificate below.
I guess gender really is over since @LauraJaneGrace said goodbye to gender! #genderisover pic.twitter.com/EHXZJbMnM2
— Kathryn (@kwymer6) May 16, 2016
