Tom Gabel Transgender Interview: Wife Stands By Singer's Side
Tom Gabel, lead singer of punk rock band Against Me!, has announced that he is "transitioning" into a woman, Rolling Stone magazine reports.
Gabel, 31, told the music magazine that growing up, he struggled with gender dysphoria, or a disconnection with one's natural gender.
"Growing up, my experience with transsexualism was nothing but shame," the singer told Rolling Stone.
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Gabel added that he will now begin taking hormones and receiving electrolysis treatments to remove hair.
This Rolling Stone interview is Gabel's first public announcement of his plans to become a transgender, previously keeping it private between close family and friends.
According to the magazine, Gabel is the first popular rock star to come out as a transgender and go through the process publically.
"I'm going to have embarrassing moments, and that won't be fun. But that's part of what talking to you is about – is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind," Gabel said.
Gabel said he plans to change his name to Laura Jane Grace. He says he is not attracted to men, and plans to stay married to his wife, with whom he has a two-year-old daughter.
"For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news. But she's been super-amazing and understanding," Gabel said of his wife, Heather.
Gabel, hailing from Florida, founded Against Me! In 1997 when he was 17-years-old.
The new issue of Rolling Stone will come out on newsstands on May 11. In the issue, Gabel will discuss the transition process in greater detail as well as the future of the band Against Me!, which is due to start touring with The Cult in late May.
