WATCH: Laura Jane Grace burns birth certificate on stage in North Carolina
A potent protest to the State's controversial HB2 law
Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace burnt her birth certificate live on stage in North Carolina last night in a powerful protest at the US State’s controversial HB2 bill.
Whereas acts including Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Pearl Jam all axed gigs in North Carolina in response to the new LGBT discriminatory laws, Laura Jane Grace always vowed to play the state in protest.
Shortly after taking to the Motorco Music Hall stage in Durham, Laura Jane pulled out her birth certificate, set it alight and proclaimed ““Goodbye, gender!” to rapturous cheers from the capacity crowd.
“The way you affect change is by empowering the grassroots movement,” Grace told the audience, “By empowering the people.”
She added on Instagram later: "Set fire to my birth certificate tonight onstage in North Carolina... BURN GENDER BURN! GENDER INFERNO!!!! Thanks to all that came out to the show."
Watch footage of Laura Jane setting fire to her birth certificate here:
The highly contentious HB2 law is claimed to boost intolerance by limiting anti-discrimination laws against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Also known as Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act it controversially prevents transgender people from using certain bathrooms and locker rooms.
Laura Jane came out as transgender in 2012, with Against Me!’s album ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’ two years later directly dealing with her experiences and struggles.
Explaining why she wanted to play North Carolina last night, Laura Jane told Buzzfeed: “I’m going to create an event around the show as a form of protest to say that despite whatever stupid laws they enact, trans people are not going to be scared. They are not going to go away.”
She added: “I think the real danger with HB2 is that it creates a target on transgender people specifically. 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.”