![Arcade Fire Respond to Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2014/05/Karl-Walter-Getty-Images2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Arcade Fire Respond to Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace
Two weeks ago, Arcade Fire released a video for their song 'We Exist,' which was dedicated to "a young person's struggle with gender identity." Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace, who struggles with her own transgender issues, wasn't too happy that the band chose 'The Amazing Spider-Man' star Andrew Garfield as the central transgender subject of the video and took to Twitter to air her grievances.
Grace directed her tweet specifically at Arcade Fire: "Dear @arcadefire, maybe when making a video for a song called 'We Exist' you should get an actual 'Trans' actor instead of Spider-Man?" Now, Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler has responded to the comment during an interview with the Advocate, explaining why they chose Garfield.
"I thought, 'Is this the right person -- should we be using a transgender person?,'" Butler admitted. "But then getting on the phone with Andrew, and Andrew's commitment and passion toward the project was just overwhelming. For an actor of that caliber to be that emotionally invested in a music video is just a very special thing. It just completely made sense."
Butler also explained that they wrote the song while visiting Jamaica, a place that's far from welcoming to gay people. And he tied their visit to Garfield's casting. "Once something gets on the Internet, it works its way into people's lives in a way that I think is pretty powerful," he said. "For a gay kid in Jamaica to see the actor who played Spider-Man in that role is pretty damn powerful, in my opinion."
More From Diffuser.fm
![Have Arcade Fire’s American Fans Abandoned Them?](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/11/winbutler.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Arcade Fire’s ‘Creature Comfort’ Single Censored for Airplay](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/10/GettyImages-453103236.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Listen to Arcade Fire Cover John Lennon’s ‘Mind Games’](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/09/Arcade-Fire.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Arcade Fire Open ‘Infinite Content’ Tour in Quebec City: Set List, Video](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/03/Arcade-Fire.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![In Latest Stunt, Arcade Fire (Sorta, Not Really) Apologize for Bizarre Media Campaign](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/08/Arcade-Fire1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Watch Arcade Fire Cover John Lennon, David Bowie and Radiohead in One Song at Lollapalooza Club Show: Set List + Video](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/08/Arcade-Fire.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![R.E.M., Arcade Fire + More React to Donald Trump’s Transgender Military Ban](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/07/Theo-Wargo-Chris-Kleponis-Jamie-McCarthy.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Arcade Fire Mock Bad Review With ‘Premature Premature Evaluation’ of ‘Everything Now’](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/07/Arcade-Fire1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Arcade Fire Give Kendall and Kylie Jenner a Taste of Their Own Medicine With New T-Shirts](http://townsquare.media/site/443/files/2017/07/Arcade-Fire-Kylie-Jenner-Theo-Wargo-Mike-Coppola.jpg?w=980&q=75)