Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has criticised the moral panic surrounding issues relating to transgender youths, calling it “fucking close-minded” in a recent interview. Speaking to the LA Times, Armstrong recounted showing a friend a new song entitled “Bobby Sox,” which explores gender fluidity. The song contains the lyrics, “Do you wanna be my girlfriend? Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” Armstrong stated that the lyrics had moved his friend to tears. The singer went on to speak about his frustration with the moral panic, saying, “It’s like people are afraid of their children. Why would you be afraid? Why don’t you let your kid just be the kid that they are?”
Armstrong went on to discuss how attitudes have changed since Green Day first formed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, saying that it is now more common for children to identify as LGBTQ, and there is more support for them. However, Armstrong stated that these attitudes were still not universal, with many people still being close-minded.
“Bobby Sox” features on Green Day’s latest album, “Saviours,” which has been widely praised. In a review for NME, the album was described as the band’s “best work since ‘American Idiot’.” The band is currently preparing to celebrate the anniversaries of two of their most famous albums – “Dookie,” which turns 30 this year, and “American Idiot,” which turns 20.
In other interviews, Armstrong has spoken about how “Saviours” bridges the gap between the two classic records and is a culmination of the band’s work to date. The album’s artwork features the words “We’re still here and we’re still fucked,” which Armstrong said is the band’s way of showing defiance in the face of adversity
Read the full article on NME here: Read More