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| Against Me! - Image copyright www.racketmag.com |
Rock and roll has
always been an arena of firsts. There are so many that trying to list
even a few of them would be an exercise in futility, such is the
vastness of their number. It is simply the nature of the beast. An
industry that is, in many ways, so progressive is bound to break so
many barriers.
Some of these barriers
border on the more unsavoury. For example, there must have been a
first rock star to perform under the influence of heroin, or animal
tranquilisers. Or, to take another example, there must have been a
first live sexual act on stage during a rock performance. Not that
there's necessarily anything wrong with those things, they're just
not the kind of thing someone should really be proud to have
achieved.
However, rock can, as
of the 9th of May 2012, claim another first. And it is one
that it can be damn well proud of, as well. Laura Jane Grace
(formerly Tom Gabel) of the punk band Against Me! became the first
major rock star to come out as transgender.
This is a major step,
when you consider that 30 or 40 years ago, people in the music
industry often found it difficult to come out or discuss
homosexuality and bisexuality (and many still do). I really hope that
this sets a trend so that more transgendered people (and people of
other dispositions that currently feel unable to express their
situation openly) can feel inspired by Laura's actions and follow in
her footsteps.
But I'm not here to
report on the news, as that will be covered in many publications that
get significantly more press than this one, by people who are
significantly better journalists than I am, and have much more of an
idea of what they're talking about. Nor am I here to espouse the
undoubted bravery shown by Laura or the importance of the act, for
the same reasons.
I am writing this as a
plea. Already, within hours of the news breaking I have seen dozens
of comments on Against Me! Videos, as well as in reply to posts about
the announcement trying to probe some kind of secret signals out of
Against Me!'s earlier works, as if to see if they could tell if they
should have been more likely to guess.
For Christ's sake, she
bloody declared “If I could have chosen, I would have been born a
woman” in 'The Ocean' on 2007's 'New Wave'. If you want your
evidence that it should have been no surprise, it's right there.
Don't try and probe it any deeper. You shouldn't even need that hint,
because it shouldn't matter.
Stop trying to derive
hidden meaning from songs that were released several years ago. and
enjoy them for what they are: great songs by a great band.
Well done to Laura, may
she be the first of many.
