Against Me! singer Tom Gabel comes out as transgender

[TheGodlessUtopian]

In the new issue of Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-gabel-of-against-me-comes-out-as-transgender-20120508#ixzz1uMANFsi4), Tom Gabel, lead singer of punk band Against Me! (http://againstme.net/), has revealed he is transgender and plans to start living as a woman. Eventually, Gabel, 31, says she’ll take the name Laura Jane Grace, but he will remain married to wife Heather: “For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news,” Gabel says in the issue, out May 11. “But she’s been super-amazing and understanding.”
Now working on their sixth album, Against Me! is on tour with The Cult through this summer. Gabel, who started the band as a solo act in 1997, is realistic about the road ahead: “I’m going to have embarrassing moments and that won’t be fun. But that’s a part of what talking to [the magazine] is about—hoping people will understand, and hoping they’ll be fairly kind.”
In the Against Me! song “The Ocean,” Gabel hinted at her desire to change gender: “And if I could have chosen/I would have been born a woman; my mother once told me she would have named me Laura; I’d grow up to be strong and beautiful like her.”


Full story here: http://www.queerty.com/against-me-singer-tom-gabel-comes-out-as-transgender-20120509/#ixzz1uODzGuyS

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[Jimmie Higgins]

I almost believe in God now - all these years I thought that this band existed only to annoy everyone and now I see there was a benevolent purpose and reason for all this suffering. Finally this band has contributed something positive to the world.:lol:

But seriously, a high-profile transperson is great for bringing more visibility to people who are sometimes marginalized even in other struggles against the oppression of sexual minorities.

[gorillafuck]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/tom-gabel-transgender-against-me_n_1501731.html


NEW YORK — Tom Gabel, the lead singer of punk rock band Against Me!, says he's becoming a woman.

The 31-year-old tells Rolling Stone that as a kid he felt disconnected from his body and has a condition called gender dysphoria. He plans to take hormones and undergo electrolysis. He also is considering gender reassignment surgery.

Says Gabel: "Growing up, my experience with transsexualism was nothing but shame."

Gabel says his new name will be Laura Jane Grace. He says he's not attracted to men and will still be married to his wife. They have a 2-year-old daughter.

Against Me! is best known for the song "Thrash Unreal." The group will hit the road for its tour with The Cult later this month.

The June issue of Rolling Stone hits newsstands Friday.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

http://www.revleft.com/vb/singer-tom-gabel-t171362/index.html?t=171362

Already have a thread about, beat ya to it.lol

[Left Leanings]

The more people who 'come out' the better, especially if they have 'celebrity' status.

It does raise the profile around this issue, and encourages people in their everyday lives to feel more comfortable with themselves, and see that they need not necessarily be afraid of coming out themselves.

I have come out as a bisexual man. I wouldn't have done it years back. But now I have the confidence to be more open about it.

I do get shit for it sometimes, from the backward and neanderthal tendency, but often it's received quite positively.

There is a more open and tolerant culture emerging in some respects, and this is very, very welcome :)

[gorillafuck]

yeah but everyones been talking about how my thread is a lot better than yours, it just has more soul

[gorillafuck]

but seriously merge the threads I guess

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Threads merged.

[Robespierres Neck]

Where'd my post go?

Eh, it wasn't important anyway. Just how he's from my area, he played a show here a couple years ago (when he never wanted to come back), my friends (who opened for them) & I ate dinner with his band, and how he felt disgruntled growing up here in such a conservative town. Interesting news.

[Leonid Brozhnev]

Heard of them but don't listen to them. Good luck to her regardless, there'll be a lot of prejudice to overcome.

[Althusser]

The best of luck.

[Brosip Tito]

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/05/09/tom-gabel-lead-singer-of-against-me-comes-out-as-transgendered-plans-to-live-as-woman/

I think this is awesome. She's one helluva singer, and I'm glad she's out. Should be a good influence to many transgender teens who listen to Against Me!

I never put too much though into the fact that there are likely a few, if not many, transgender people in the public eye, who are still not out.

Yeah, this is goodI think this is really good! Any transgender folk, or anyone really, care to give their two cents?

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Already go this covered in Music... will merge threads.

[Art Vandelay]

Anyone like me, you who liked against me! music but doesn't now knowing about tom's gender identity, would be nothing short of bigoted. Although I do not like their music now, given the direction its gone, it would never affect my opinion of their music. Plus I think this is an incredibly brave thing to do, something if in the same situation I do not think I could ever do.

[maskerade]

I used to be a huge Against Me! fan back in the day, and Tom was always dropping hints about his gender dysphoria. I'm glad she's made this decision, but undoubtedly it will affect their future music...but, it is the most punk thing ever, and it's fucking awesome.

HvWeP18RpmM

'And if I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman
My mother once told me she would have named me Laura'

very powerful stuff. i wish her all the best

[Fawkes]

props to her:thumbup:

I'm curious as to what effect this will have on her voice, given her recent trend towards a more and more Roger Daltrey-esque bellow

[Brosa Luxemburg]

This is a little off topic but I have never been a big fan of Against Me! Their older stuff was very good but their recent stuff has been disappointing (to me anyway).

[Fawkes]

This is a little off topic but I have never been a big fan of Against Me! Their older stuff was very good but their recent stuff has been disappointing (to me anyway).

yeah, no doubt. the one big exception for me is Thrash Unreal, it's one of those rare songs where I feel like I could have written every single word.it's like a biography of one of my siblings

[Robespierres Neck]

'And if I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman
My mother once told me she would have named me Laura'

Ah yeah, that's a great quote, seeing that he's changing his name to Laura Grace.

I agree with the above posters. Against Me's older music doesn't touch their new stuff (which I think is pretty bad). Their EP acoustic album is still my favorite folk-punk record.

[gorillafuck]

I used to be a huge Against Me! fan back in the day, and Tom was always dropping hints about his gender dysphoria. I'm glad she's made this decision, but undoubtedly it will affect their future music...but, it is the most punk thing ever, and it's fucking awesome.what?:confused:

[Psychedelia]

For some extra information

In May 2012 Gabel publicly came out as transgender, having dealt with gender dysphoria for years.Gabel plans to transition to living as a woman by taking hormones, undergoing electrolysis treatments, and eventually taking the name Laura Jane Grace while remaining married to Heather. This had been alluded to in Gabel's lyrics to "The Ocean" from New Wave ("If I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman / My mother once told me she would have named me Laura") and in a new song, "Transgender Dysphoria Blues".

hm interesting Grace is an vegan sweet

[La Guaneña]

Cool, Gabel is a nice guy and I hope the best for him.

[The Machine]

i mean good for him/her but i still dont forgive them for i was a teenage anarchist