Boygenius slay Coachella with trans solidarity, plus a special message for Ron DeSantis
Boygenius used their Coachella set on Saturday night to support trans rights and say ‘f**k Ron DeSantis’. (Twitter/@r3volution0 grab by PinkNews)
Indie rock supergroup Boygenius used their Coachella perfomance to say “f**k Ron DeSantis” and stand up for trans and abortion rights.
On Saturday (15 April), Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker – the three artists who make up boygenius – took to the stage on day two of Coachella, the music and arts festival beloved of celebs and influencers held in California’s Colorado Desert.
Playing the Thin Lizzy hit “The Boys Are Back in Town” as their entrance song – an ongoing gag since they announced their tour – Bridgers, Dacus and Baker, in matching black suits, wasted no time in coming out for trans rights.
After introducing the band, Julien Baker, 27, said: “I want to say before we keep going, I don’t know if you’ve been checking the news and seeing the tomfoolery that’s going on in Florida, Missouri, and so many other places, but trans lives matter, trans kids matter.
“We’re going to fight it, and we’re going to win.”
Phoebe Bridgers, 28, quickly piped up with a clap back at the Republican governor of Florida. The “Motion Sickness” artist said: “And abortion rocks, and f**k Ron DeSantis.”
On Thursday (13 April), DeSantis signed one of the most extreme abortion bans in the US into law, prohibiting abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
In order to receive an abortion up to the previously-permitted 15 weeks of gestation, pregnant people must provide documentation that proves that their pregnancy is a result of rape, incest or human trafficking – a burden that will undoubtedly serve to cause further trauma to survivors.
Pheobe Bridgers has previously shared her story of accessing abortion care in a tweet that fans praised for it’s openness and bravery.
On 3 May 2022, she tweeted: “I went to Planned Parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.”
Bridgers’ post came just one day after the news leaked that the US Supreme Court planned to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark federal protection for people seeking abortion.
Day one of Coachella on Friday (14 April) saw boygenius join their friends Muna during a joyful, stand-out performance of the pop trio’s single “Silk Chiffon”.
Fans took to Twitter to praise the abundance of queer and non-binary love on stage.
Boygenius released their hotly anticipated debut album the record to rave reviews on 31 March, a debut “soaked with unabashed queer joy” – along with a Kristen Stewart-directed music video called “the film”, sending queer fans into meltdown.
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