Laura Jane Grace burns birth certificate in on-stage protest

Last night Against Me! went ahead with their scheduled North Carolina gig, with frontwoman Laura Jane Grace burning her birth certificate on-stage, and saying “Goodbye, gender!”.

The band previously stated their intention to play the show as “an act of protest” against the state’s new transphobic laws. The HB2 “bathroom law” bans transgender people from using public toilets that don’t match their biological sex. Many musicians such as Bruce Springsteen have boycotted the state over the law.

Speaking to Buzzfeed ahead of the show, Laura Jane Grace said “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. 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.”

Watch a fan’s footage from the show below.