Punk rocker says he is having sex change operation to become a woman... but he's STAYING with his wife
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.
Scroll down to see a 2010 interview with Gabel...
Surprise: Tom Gabel, the lead singer of Against Me! told only a few family members and close friends about his plan he went public with the news he will change sex
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, Heather. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Evelyn.
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Gabel said he only told a few family members and close friends about his plan to have a sex change operation before going public.
He says he opened up to Rolling Stone because he is the first major rock star to ever assume a new gender.
The band: Against Me! began in 1997 in Naples, Florida, and has been touring ever since. The members are (left to right): Andrew Seward, George Rebelo, Tom Gabel and James Bowman
THE COMPLEX SURGERIES TO TRANSFORM A MAN INTO A WOMAN
Transitioning from a man to a woman requires several intense surgeries and years of hormone therapy.
It's unclear which procedures Tom Gabel plans to undergo, but here are a few of the procedures he's likely to undergo:
Vaginoplasty - The man's penis is turned inside-out to create a full-formed vagina.
Breast implants - Hormone therapy will cause patients to grow breasts, but many opt to enlarge them with implants.
Tracheal shave - Cartilage in the throat is removed and the Adam's Apple is reduced
Jaw recontouring - The broad, sharp lines of the man's jaw are softened by shaving down the jawbone.
'I'm going to have embarrassing moments and that won't be fun,' he told the magazine.
'But that's part of what talking to you is about -- is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind.'
He says his only reservation about undergoing to operation was how his wife would react to the news.
'But she's been super-amazing and understanding,' he said.
Though he has never talked about his issues with sexual identity before, he's hinted at them in his music.
In 'The Ocean,' on the band's 2007 album 'New Wave,' he sings: 'If I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman / My mother once told me she would have named me Laura.'
Gabel also wrote a song called 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues.'
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.
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