Indigo Girls come to Australia
When Amy Ray was young she considered herself to be a boy. She would write small plays and make sure she was the male protagonist.
Since that time she has equated her childhood experiences with “gender dysphoria”, which Amy says means “exactly that”.
“I always felt like I was in the wrong body,” she said. “I would look in the mirror and expect to see something different.”
As one half of female folk rock duo, the Indigo Girls, Amy’s challenges have long been in the public domain.
But after 20 years of releasing records with Emily Saliers as part of the band, Amy is more than happy to share her story with others.
“The queers have always been very vocal and loyal supporters,” she says.
“We welcome it and we understand why. It is a community for us.”
The Indigo Girls are getting ready to hit concert halls down under, with their third Australian tour kicking off in October.
Their 10th studio album Despite Our Differences has been described as one of their most diverse, with country, punk and pop sounds woven into their distinctive folk harmonies.
The pair, longstanding environmental and social activists, have so far received seven Grammy nominations and sold more than 12 million albums.
Despite their resounding success, they continue to play for “everyone, everywhere” – from major auditoriums to country farmhouses.
“We do part of the tour season at traditional venues,” Amy said. “And towards the end we do a certain amount of crazy fun gigs that are not about making money.”
Putting the “gender stuff” aside, Amy says, she has never had an issue with being gay.
“I always knew I was gay, I had a girlfriend in my senior year of high school,” she said.
“My struggle was definitely with learning to appreciate myself as a female and accept myself as a male. Being both things and understanding that is okay.”
Indigo Girls play at the Enmore Theatre on 6 November. Tickets are $79.90. Phone the theatre on 9550 3666, Ticketek on 132 849, or go to www.ticketek.com.au. For information about other Indigo Girls gigs around Australia go to www.indigogirls.com.
