Against Me! frontman is taking gender-bending one major step further than Bowie or Peter Gabriel ever did. In the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone, the 31-year-old singer announces his plans to transition from man into woman, from Tom Gabel to Laura Jane Grace.
A sneak peek of the story was published on Rolling Stone's blog, mentioning that Gabel had questioned his biological gender for some time but hadn't, until recently, made the decision to undergo the extreme physical and psychological transitions that will make him a female, "taking hormones and undergoing electrolysis treatments."
Gabel has been married -- to a lady, natch -- for years, and the two have a daughter. According to the release from RS, the two plan to continue their marriage despite Gabel's gender change.
This likely comes as a shock to the punk-rock community and is a bold move for a man entrenched in a scene that tends toward the hypermasculine. Against Me! established itself in the late '90s just down the street in Gainesville. It made quite a name for itself with the punk, hardcore, and alternative music scenes beyond state lines and around the world as well.
Although the band has not released an LP since 2010, it is currently on tour and working on a new album. We certainly wish Gabel, family, and friends well. We hope others are able to support, not discriminate against or hate, a valuable member of the music industry in what is one of the biggest life-changing decisions anybody can make.
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