One listen to the lyrics of any of seminal punk band Against Me!'s songs and you'll realize just how much of a turbulent life frontwoman Laura Jane Grace has had. From an early teen drug addiction, to lawful and incredibly unlawful arrests, to a bitter divorce between her parents, Laura has struggled against the system almost from the moment she was born Thomas Jane Gabel.
Against the backdrop of all this has been her greatest struggle of all: intense and painful gender dysphoria. She would skip school and cross dress at home, leading to a "binge and purge cycle" and feelings of immense guilt. Even when she formed Against Me! and married Heather Hannoura, the struggle was always there, and always real. She could never escape this feeling of "misalignment", of being born in the wrong body.