So, when Laura Jane Grace announced that she was transgender, a lot of people in the punk subreddits and a few forums I went to said "Oh this is great! She's bringing issues of the transgender community to the forefront and using her music to do so. This is what the Punk Ethos is completely about. The punk community in general is so open minded and welcoming. This will be great. Blah. Blah. Blah."

This didn't match my worldview of the punk scene at all. Punks can be just as bull headed and stuck in their ways as any other sub-culture. Hell, I've met fanatic republicans that seem more level headed than some punks I know and I've known a few punks in my time to be downright assholes. To make matters worse, "Punk" is pretty much a catch all phrase. People seem to forget that younger people in white power circles have used both Punk and Metal music to spread their hateful message for decades. There's a reason why the Dead Kennedys wrote "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!"

When I raised concerns that this kind of thing wasn't going to be as welcome with open arms as people were thinking, I got shouted down, hard and mean. I don't know what my stance is on transgender people, I don't know if I'll ever figure it out. I do know though, that they're human still and need to be treated like anyone else. I can say for sure though, that I wish I was wrong about my doubts and worries.

Be safe out there people. There's an asshole around every corner.