Trans punk singer Laura Jane Grace speaks following Orlando: I don’t think we should hide
Trans Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace has spoken following a shooting at an LGBT venue in Orlando which killed 49 people on Sunday, to say that she thinks the community must not hide.
Grace last year said that she still struggles “daily” to accept herself.
The punk singer came out as trans in 2012, continuing to perform with the band following her transition.
Now, speaking to the Pandora Pride Organization, Grace said she couldn’t even imagine what it is like to be in the situation that some 320 people were in at the Pulse nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning when Omar Mateen opened fire with assault rifles.
She said: “I only can sympathise. I have those same fears. As someone who in a couple days will be standing on a stage in a room full of people feeling that amount of responsibility for everyone who’s there, I have no idea what I would do in that situation other than trying to survive.
“I definitely do not think the answer is to hide, to not be out there, to not be visible, but I have no other solution to the problem to offer than gun control.”
Against Me! recorded album Transgender Dysphoria Blues based on Laura Jane Grace’s transition, which was widely acclaimed in the trans community.
49 people were killed and 53 injured on Sunday in the shocking terrorist hate crime attack, which saw a gunman open fire inside The Pulse gay bar in Orlando, Florida.
ISIS has since claimed responsibility for the attack, which was perpetrated by US citizen Omar Mateen. The majority of the victims were Latino.
In a statement, President Obama mourned the victims of the homophobic hate crime attack and called for greater restrictions on arms sales.
In response, Republican nominee Donald Trump said Obama should resign for failing to rally against Islam in his comments.
The attack has been condemned by American Muslim leaders, who addressed ISIS in saying: “You do not speak for us.”
But millions of people around the world have showed solidarity with the victims of the shooting and the community in Orlando,
A GoFundMe page for victims of the Orlando gay club mass shooting on Sunday, was the fastest ever page to reach $1 million, and now stands at more than $4 million.
