Against Me! singer Tom Gabel has come out as transgender and discussed plans to begin living as a woman in the next issue of Rolling Stone.
Gabel, who will go by Laura Jane Grace and remain married to wife Heather, will undergo electrolysis treatments and take hormones to make the transition from male to female.
"For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news," Gabel told Rolling Stone of Heather. "But she's been super-amazing and understanding."
Gabel has dealt with gender dysphoria for years and decided it was a good time to speak up about the private struggle, telling only a few family members and friends about the upcoming transition before talking with the magazine. "I'm going to have embarrassing moments, and that won't be fun," Gabel said of coming out. "But that's part of what talking to you is about — is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind."
Though Gabel is the first major rock star to undergo a gender transformation, she's hardly the first celebrity. Larry Wachowski, half of the Wachowski-brother directing duo behind the "Matrix" trilogy, has been credited as Lana Wachowki in recent work and seems to now identify as a woman, though neither sibling has spoken publicly on the subject. Chaz Bono, meanwhile, made a very public run on "Dancing With the Stars" as the first transgender contestant. Chaz, born the daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono, underwent female-to-male gender transition between 2008 and 2010.
In the next issue of Rolling Stone, due Friday, Gabel will tell her full story, including what the revelation means for the future of Against Me!
source
(although I'm not sure about the Chaz line at the end irt "born the daughter"... unless he's publicly said something that backs up that assumption)
I am absolutely stunned they didn't fuck it up.
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
T_T
I had no idea about Lana Wachowski.
OT: I wonder how long it takes to get solid black tattoos like hers. Unless those are tights or something.
Good luck to her. ♥
Edited at 2012-05-09 02:54 pm (UTC)
Some of the comments on various sites from supposed fans are hideous. A lot of them have to do with the fact they "don't want to lose his amazing voice!" Please. Even if her voice changes (I myself don't know a lot about hormone treatments and their effects) so what? Would you really hope that someone keeps their feelings bottled up so you can enjoy something as a fan? Fuck off.
Edited at 2012-05-09 03:14 pm (UTC)
and thus was uttered a sentence never seen before in the english language.
My friends used to call me punk rock cait. Oh man, so many memories.
Go girl!
I'm not at all familiar with this person or this band, but all i could think, looking at the picture, was OW OW OW. All that black-work. OW.