LCD Soundsystem’s Gavin Russom comes out as transgenderGavin Russom Coming Out

LCD Soundsystem’s Gavin Russom comes out as transgender

LCD Soundsystem, as a group, has been breaking down sonic barriers for nearly two decades. Now, on the cusp of their highly-anticipated comeback album, the band’s revered synthesizer technician, Gavin Russom, has taken it upon herself to break down a different kind of barrier entirely. Gavin has publicly announced that she’s completed her transition into a transgender woman.

In a new interview with Pitchfork, Russom delves into her newly-emerging identity as a transgender woman, discussing her personal journey and the stepping stones that led to her self-actualization and transition. In a globally booming industry that’s generally dominated top-down by straight, white males, Russom’s announcement is a bold beacon of change in 2017, fostered within New York’s flourishing LGBTQA+ communities.

Russom discusses the acceleration of her transition with Pitchfork, explaining the following:

“Over the last year and a half, I went from my trans identity being something I was in touch with and worked through in one way or another, to suddenly this shift where it’s on the front burner. Now it’s time to become a whole person.”

Gavin Russom may not be a household name, though as the synth guru behind LCD’s iconic sound and the creator of many of James Murphy and DFA Records’ custom analog hardware, she’s played an incredibly formative role in indie dance music’s progression since joining the band nearly a decade ago. Russom’s solo endeavors include forays into acid house and techno as well, characterized by an ultra-sophisticated palate informed by dance music’s deepest roots.

Just ahead of LCD’s headlining set at Pitchfork Music Festival next week, Russom will perform as a trans woman for the first time at Chicago’s monthly Femme’s Room event, celebrating femme and queer culture. Femme’s Room organizers even reached out to Russom prior her announcement, without any knowledge of it, bringing the moment completely full circle for Russom. She admits,

 “Having not said anything about my gender identity or transition, it felt like this amazing synchronicity,” she says, “one of those moments where the universe is tapping you on the shoulder, [saying], ‘It’s OK, it’s real.’”

Russom’s perspective is relentlessly optimistic, and as one of electronic dance music’s foremost minds completes a momentous transition, hopefully it will inspire fans and fellow creatives alike to embrace their true identities too.

Read Gavin Russom’s powerful interview with Pitchfork in full here.

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