After the state of North Carolina passed House Bill 2, a bill that stripped the state of its measures protecting LGBTQ people and also bans transgender people from using restrooms that do not match the biological sex on their birth certificates, several musicians cancelled performances in the state, including Bruce Springsteen. But Against Me!, helmed by trans singer Laura Jane Grace, will protest the bill by going ahead and playing a show previously booked for May 15 in Durham.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Grace explained the band’s decision to go on with the show despite the state’s bigotry, and condemned HB2:
“I think the real danger with HB2 is that it creates a target on transgender people specifically,” Grace said. “When you feel targeted as a trans person, the natural inclination is to go into hiding. But visibility is more important than ever; to go there and have the platform of a stage to stand on and speak your mind and represent yourself.”
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But Grace said that the transgender people who live in North Carolina don’t have the option to boycott the state. “They live here. They pay taxes. They are prisoners to it.”
Grace also told BuzzFeed that she will discuss the bill and trans rights at the concert, and that she will encourage the audience to use gender-neutral restrooms in the club.
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