Two years ago, the leader of the great American punk band Against Me! came out as transgender, began publicly transitioning to life as a woman, and redefined the phrase “punk as fuck.” Tonight, Laura Jane Grace and her eternal band of brothers light up the Neptune in support of their new album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, a smashing collection of songs that places trans issues front and center in the lyrics. Meanwhile, the music never stops winning. The band’s last Seattle show left people raving—don’t miss this one. (Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St, stgpresents.org, 8 pm, $18 adv/$20 DOS, all ages)

David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest...