Entertainment Music Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong Says Transphobic People Are 'Close-Minded': 'Why Would You Be Afraid?' "Why don't you let your kid just be the kid that they are?" said the "American Idiot" rocker on the topic of transgender children By Jack Irvin Jack Irvin Jack Irvin has over five years of experience working in digital journalism, and he’s worked at PEOPLE since 2022. Jack started in the industry with internships at Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, and he worked as a freelance writer for publications including Bustle, MTV News, Shondaland, L’Officiel USA, Ladygunn, Flood and PopCrush before joining PEOPLE. In his current role, Jack covers daily music news and has interviewed both up-and-coming and established artists including Dolly Parton, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, Cyndi Lauper, Normani, Carly Rae Jepsen and Coco Jones. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 16, 2024 04:55PM EST Close Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong and Tre Cool of Green Day in Hollywood in December 2023. Photo: Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Billie Joe Armstrong isn't part of the transphobic agenda. In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the 51-year-old Green Day frontman opened up about his thoughts toward people with anti-transgender mindsets and how cultural conversations on the topic have changed over time. Ahead of the upcoming Jan. 19 release of the "American Idiot" band's new album Saviors, Armstrong told the outlet about how its track "Bobby Sox" addresses queerness. The song, per the outlet, finds him musing on the simplicities of romance with his wife, Adrienne Nesser, and sweetly asking, "Do you wanna be my girlfriend?" Billie Joe Armstrong performs with Green Day in Milwaukee in July 2023. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Green Day Detail 2024 Saviors Tour Celebrating 30 Years of Dookie and 20 Years of American Idiot "But then in the next verse, I thought I should flip the script," said the 51-year-old musician, who identifies as bisexual. "I’m kind of playing the character of the woman, but it also felt really liberating to sing, ‘Do you wanna be my boyfriend?'" Armstrong added, "It became more of a queer singalong.” Billie Joe Armstrong. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Upon playing the song for a friend, the "21 Guns" vocalist said its lyrics "brought a tear to his eye." "Nowadays it’s more common for kids to be LGBTQ, and there’s more support," said Armstrong in the interview. "But for us, back in the day, that was like the beginning of when people were able to openly say things like that." Green Day Sells Donald Trump Mug Shot T-Shirts for Charity: 'Ultimate Nimrod' Green Day. FilmMagic While the queer community is certainly more accepted and celebrated in many areas of culture today, anti-LGBTQ+ groups are still prevalent in society. According to the Human Rights Campaign, "at least 31 transgender and gender non-conforming people" were violently murdered in 2023. Armstrong has long been open about his social and political views, and he was not shy with the LA Times regarding his thoughts on transphobic individuals. "I just think they’re f---ing close-minded," he said. "It’s like people are afraid of their children," added the Grammy winner. "Why would you be afraid? Why don’t you let your kid just be the kid that they are?"