Laura Jane Grace is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, born on November 8, 1980, in Fort Benning, Georgia, to United States Army Major Thomas Gabel and Bonnie Gabel (née Grace). She has a younger brother, Mark, and is a military brat, having moved frequently throughout her childhood, residing in various places such as Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Germany, and Naples, Italy.
At the age of 12, after her parents' divorce, she moved to Naples, Florida, with her mother and brother. It was during this time that she formed her first rock band, which initially focused on playing covers of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The following year, she was arrested on Independence Day, which sparked her interest in anarcho-punk and led her to start writing for fanzines.
At 17, she dropped out of school to pursue her music career with Against Me!, which was formed in 1997. To support herself, she worked odd jobs, and in 2002, the band released its debut album, "Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose". This was followed by "Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy" in 2003 and "Searching for a Former Clarity" in 2005, which gained significant success and led to a US tour, playing in all 50 states.
Against Me! continued to release albums, including "New Wave" in 2007 and "White Crosses" in 2010, with each release garnering increasing popularity. In May 2012, Laura Jane Grace publicly came out as a transgender woman. In 2014, Against Me! released the album "Transgender Dysphoria Blues", which addressed her experiences as a transgender individual. The same year, she starred in the series "True Trans with Laura Jane Grace" and published her memoir, "Tranny: Confessions Of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout".
Laura Jane Grace has been married twice, first to Tiffany Danielle Kay from 2000 to 2004 and then to Heather Hannoura from 2007 to 2013. She has a daughter, Evelyn, born in 2009, with Hannoura. Currently, she resides in Chicago.
