Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace Talks Her First Year As A Woman

Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace has given an in-depth firsthand account of her first year as living as a woman, after the singer came out as transgender in 2012.

Speaking to Cosmo, Grace talked about her journey to becoming Laura Jane, discussing everything from the support she’s received from fans of the seminal Florida punk group (and from Joan Jett!) to why her daughter Evelyn still calls her ‘Daddy’. There’s also an interview with Grace’s wife of 6 years, Heather Hannoura, and the couple aren’t shying away from discussing the intimate details of their relationship.

In the typically male-dominated world of punk and hardcore, it’s pretty rad to see a transwoman stepping up and sharing her experience with the fans. Grace says she felt like a girl from as early as age 5, seeing women like Madonna and Mia Farrow on TV and wanting to emulate them, but had no idea that gender transition even existed in a pre-internet era. After deciding to make the leap to living full-time as a woman at age 31, she was scared of how Against Me! fans would react but was surprised by how many fans stuck by the band and how many have offered their support.

Against Me! are currently recording their sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, which is being engineered and produced by Grace herself, and has been promised as “really fucking tough” by bassist Andrew Seward. Drummer Jay Weinberg quit the band last year.

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