Punk rocker to become a woman

Tom Gabel, the lead singer of punk rock band Against Me!, says he's becoming a woman.

The 31-year-old told Rolling Stone magazine that as a kid he felt disconnected from his body and has a condition called gender dysphoria. He plans to take hormones and undergo electrolysis. He also is considering gender reassignment surgery.

"Growing up, my experience with transsexualism was nothing but shame,' he said.

Gabel said his new name would be Laura Jane Grace. He said he's not attracted to men and would still be married to his wife. They have 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," he told the magazine.

Gabel is the first major rock star to come out as transgender, and the singer made a point of speaking openly about it. "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."

In the song The Ocean, from 2007 album New Wave Gabel hinted at his feelings. 

The lyrics include the lines: "And if I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman / My mother once told me she would have named me Laura / I'd grow up to be strong and beautiful like her."

Earlier this year, Gabel performed an acoustic rendition of a new song called Transgender Dysphoria Blues.

Against Me! is best known for the song Thrash Unreal.

The June issue of Rolling Stone hits newsstands in the US on Friday.

- © Fairfax NZ News