Against Me! leader Tom Gabel never hesitates to completely bare his soul in his lyrics. The man hid nothing from anyone willing to pay attention to his words. "Ocean," the closing track on their amazing 2007 album New Wave, struck me as particularly open. Here's the second verse:

If I could have chosen
I would have been born a woman.
My mother once told me
She would have named me Laura.
I would grow up to be strong and beautiful like her.

At the time I thought it was pretty shocking a punk rock frontman could sing so openly about gender confusion. A feature in this month's Rolling Stone follows Gabel as he prepares to transition to life as a woman - Laura Jane Grace. Here's a preview of her story via HuffPo:

NEW YORK — Tom Gabel, the lead singer of punk rock band Against Me!, says he's becoming a woman.

The 31-year-old tells Rolling Stone that as a kid he felt disconnected from his body and has a condition called gender dysphoria. He plans to take hormones and undergo electrolysis. He also is considering gender reassignment surgery.

Says Gabel: "Growing up, my experience with transsexualism was nothing but shame."

Gabel says his new name will be Laura Jane Grace. He says he's not attracted to men and will still be married to his wife. They have a 2-year-old daughter.

Against Me! is best known for the song "Thrash Unreal." The group will hit the road for its tour with The Cult later this month.

The June issue of Rolling Stone hits newsstands Friday.

A preview of the Rolling Stone story can be found here. An incredible, acoustic performance of Against Me! playing "Ocean" is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvWeP18RpmM