Against Me! Laura Jane Grace on being a trans roll model looks for the same from us. That's Punk.

Laura Jane Grace interviewed by Radio.com talks about the experience of breaking away from the security of recording under a major label to produce their own music again freely.

"We did our last two records on a major label and that experience towards the end felt like very stifling in that there were too many cooks in the kitchen trying to tell you how to do your art. So we really wanted the opposite experience with this record, having complete freedom to do what ever we wanted."

"It's been liberating in that sense but it's scary."

Via jillian clark photo.tumblr

As a transgender journalist I of course focus on Laura Jane Grace's transition. It huge in the punk world but the reality is if Against Me! is to thrive there has to be more to the story.

Laura explains For years people focused on their recording with a major label calling Against Me! sell outs. Laura Jane explains "there will always be people like that, now the focus is on something else (for instance her trans identity)

On $10,000 dollars of her most precious guitars being stolen by a moving company "Theirs a special place in hell reserved for guitar thief's. Maybe one of us will earn a place in heaven if we find one of her guitars.



The video I recorded of Against Me! in 2012 3ft from the stage at The Dallas House of Blues. I had never been to a punk concert before that. The word "Punk" just carried too much negative baggage for me to even consider. But I've learned through Laura's transition is that Punk is transsexulism personified in sound in that the commonality we share with cisgender people searching for the same personal truths. Punk easily bridges our differences. Its Punk.