Laura Jane Grace Says Against Me! Will Play Show in North Carolina in Protest of Anti-LGBTQ Law

When Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert in North Carolina in protest of the state’s anti-LGBTQ House Bill 2, it inspired a wave of artists to follow suit and boycott. Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, however, is moving forward with her band’s scheduled North Carolina show -- also in protest of the controversial law.

Against Me! will play a show on May 15 in Durham, N.C., and Grace intends to send a clear message to the state’s politicians. “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,” she told BuzzFeed. “They are not going to go away.”

Last month, North Carolina passed House Bill 2, which effectively allows for workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and forces transgender people to use bathrooms designated for the gender printed on their birth certificates. Grace, who came out as trans in 2012, believes it’s crucial that she uses her stage as a platform to speak out against the law.

“I think the real danger with HB2 is that it creates a target on transgender people specifically,” she 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.”

Against Me!’s concert in Durham will be equipped with unisex bathrooms, and North Carolina LGBTQ organizations will be present to offer additional information to concertgoers.