Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace Isn't Happy With Arcade Fire

Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace has publicly criticised Arcade Fire on Twitter over their decision to cast The Amazing Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield in their clip for their LGBT-rights anthem, We Exist.

Grace, herself a transgender woman, condemned the band's decision to cast a cisgender person - and a particularly prominent one, no less - in the video's main role. It's an issue close to Grace's heart; her struggle with gender dysphoria forms the central focus of the band's most recent LP, Gender Dysphoria Blues.

In the clip, Garfield's character endures an ordeal of personal discovery in which he gets in touch with his inner (and outer) woman, gets in a brawl at a bar and ends up dancing on stage with Arcade Fire at Coachella, because that's how real life works. 

However, transgender classical pianist and singer-songwriter Our Lady J, who helped coach Garfield for his performance in the clip, offered a different viewpoint on Instagram.

"I'm so proud of Andrew Garfield's performance in Arcade Fire's new video for We Exist! He plays a young person publicly exploring their femininity for the first time, and I was lucky to coach him along the way :))" she captioned the photo of herself and Garfield side-by-side on the video's set.

In case you missed it, you can watch the polarising clip for We Exist below.

Concerned about your gender identity? Find support at the Gender Centre.