Yesterday we heard some “family values” group get publicity by knocking Chaz Bono as a competitor in the just-announced cast for the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars. It was all about how Chaz, as a transgender person, was part of some Hollywood agenda to “tear down traditional families,” as if that makes any sense. The gay and transgender people who want their own families aren’t a threat to other families at all. They’re not breaking up families.
Anyway Chaz’s mom Cher wrote on Twitter that Chaz is going to win people over on DWTS and that she feels the need to defend her child against “stupid bigots.” She really went after Chaz’s detractors and called for people to support him online. Here are her tweets in reverse order from oldest to newest so that they make more sense:
lovelies! Chaz is Being Viciously Attacked on Blogs & Message boards about being on DWTS!This is Still America right ? It took guts 2 do it
I support him no matter what he chooses 2do! God! will there always be haters! It took COURAGE 2 do dwts ! TG Chaz has an Unlimited supply
Can u guys check out sites & give him your support ? BTW …Mothers don’t stop Getting angry with stupid bigots who fk with their children !
dont know names Could u look 4 me?He is Such a Good Person inside lota heart RT @wildbrat_jlynn: get us the site we will spread the word!
bet VAST MAJORITY of People will LOVE CHAZ on DWTS ! & it’s took Fkg Guts 2! Chaz isn’t exactly the “Gotta Dance Gotta Dance”kinda Guy
[From Cher’s Twitter]
That’s really great of her to come to his defense. Cher has been supportive of Chaz from the start, but she’s admitted that it was hard for her to come to terms with his change. Cher wrote in a statement two years ago that “I respect the courage it takes to go through this transition in the glare of public scrutiny, and although I may not understand, I will strive to be understanding. The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child.” Now Cher is going to bat for Chaz. It will be fun to see her in the audience when he’s competing on Dancing With The Stars. She’s such a character.
Chaz’s dance partner, fashion-challenged Lacey Schwimmer, has also spoken out on his behalf. Schwimmer told The Insider that she chooses not to focus on the negative comments and that she’s in Chaz’s corner.
“It’s disappointing,” Lacey tells TheInsider.com of the negative reactions. “No human is perfect, so why are they pointing out what they perceive to be an imperfection in someone else? It’s not cool. We’re all taught to not bully, or harass, and treat everyone as equals yet all these people are doing exactly the opposite.” Luckily for Lacey and Chaz, the supportive sounds are drowning out the negative noise. “At the end of the day, everyone is going to have a hater. I choose not to listen to it, because it’s ridiculous. To us, it’s more important to focus on the positive people.”
For Lacey, finding out that Chaz would be her season 13 partner was the best kind of news. “I was absolutely thrilled. I’ve always been a huge supporter of the LGBT community and I couldn’t be more excited to have Chaz. Not only is he Sonny & Cher’s child but he’s also a generally cool person.” And while producers didn’t ask Lacey’s permission to pair her with Chaz, she believes they knew it was an unnecessary conversation.
“This is my sixth season — the producers know that I’m very open-minded and really accepting of everyone,” she says. “Ever since Lance [Bass] was on the show, it opened the door for the LGBT community to be accepted in Middle America and it’s about time. It’s 2011, let’s evolve a little bit here.”
[From The Insider]
That’s nice! Lacey also says that Chaz has trouble keeping up due to his size but that “we’ve been putting him through drills that will make him stronger in the competition. It’s all about him being able to breath [sic] and get through a full dance.” He’s lost five pounds in six days.” It looks like we’re about to see another weight loss success story on DWTS.
Here’s a photo of Lacey and Chaz that Chaz posted on Twitter.
Photo of Cher and Chaz is from November, 2010. Credit: WENN.com
It’s fantastic that Cher is stepping up. A colleague’s transgendered child was bullied horribly and committed suicide in his early teens. These kids need positive role models and raised awareness to prevent these senseless tragedies in the future. Go Chaz!!
You’d think at some point I would stop being surprised at how much useless hate their is in this world. I can’t imagine having the nerve to go on DWTS. Put myself out there in front of everyone. It takes guts. I might actually watch a few clips of this show. I hope Chaz has lots of fun and everyone else can suck it!
Im so glad the people that say such hateful things have never endured such agony in their life the way I’m sure Chaz has. I’m sure being who he is now was not easy, and having people say hateful things doesn’t make the process easier. God forbid people be different! They need open a science book and read up on what being transgender means before opening up their ignorant mouths. It takes a ton of courage to show your true self and I imagine there are plenty of people who suffer their whole lives because they can never be honest with themselves or anyone else.
Aww, Chaz is so cute in that pic, he’s really enjoying that snuggle!
I saw this story earlier on Radar Online and, of course, the only two comments I saw were made by exactly the type of bigots Cher is addressing here. I find it really depressing that there are still so many people out there who can be so close minded and cruel.
GOOOOOOO CHAZ!!!!
Good, Good, GOOD for Cher. I think that’s pretty much how (most) of us parents feel: “I may not understand, but I strive for understanding.”
Thus far, none of my kids has come out, but I think Cher’s statement pretty much covers just about EVERYTHING our kids do. (They make life determinations; poor choices [what do you mean melting your car keys in the outlet and blowing the power out in the entire building wasn’t a good idea? why can’t I use your acrylic liquid to blow bubbles? really, you don’t think the walls look better covered in blue sharpie? you mean it’s not okay to melt off the cat’s whiskers with a lighter? But it’s MY CAT.*]; whatever it is kids do.)
But we LOVE THEM. That’s what parents do!
*pity me. my boys have been holy terrors.
As well she should stand up for her child. There is however, freedom of speech and that applies to everyone, like it or not. Everyone, everyone has a right to their opinion. Personally, what could I have against him, he’s never hurt me. I just think anyone that goes on Dancing with Stars is a fool.
You know, Cher, calling people “haters” and “stupid idiots” is not a good way to open up intelligent discourse on the subject.
Cher is, in fact, bullying those who are not immediately embracing the whole subject.
God, looking at pictures of Chaz makes my heart hurt– and not in the emotional sense. I really hope he does manage to get some of that weight off…I can’t imagine being that heavy and launching into a dance competition! I’d say “that takes balls” but, uh, that might be construed the wrong way 😉
I LOVE Cher!!! I just do, always have.
I totally support Chaz and hope he wins.
I wish the haters would find something more productive to do with their time. He’s absolutely harmless and charming to boot. I dont see why ppl think that what he had to do to become his true self has any bearing on “traditional Families”. Have any of these ppl ever seen what goes on behind closed doors in your typical white picket fence family? I can tell you there’s more scandal and morals sins than in your LGTB Community. They’re just able to hide it better behind their picket fences and images.
I feel sorry that Chaz had insensitive people bully him.
I will say this, though: I don’t think that it is such a sensitive thing to simply accept that a deep, intense and dramatic inability to live with yourself can lead to mutilation of your body.
There MUST be a much deeper discussion, a much more throughout investigation of the reasons for such a desperate act. I too often see people destroyed because they cannot deal with the roots of their dislike for themselves (and psychological problems often are taken out on the body; see eating disorders, self harm…).
While it is true that one’s body is their own, it is also true that society cannot simply watch as many people suffer: with better help, maybe so much more people would not seek such extreme measures to feel alright in their bodies.
You know considering she comes from a very conservative Morman family that is super progressive of Lacey. Although the cynic in me is wondering if she’s just doing lip service for the media
TEAM CHAZ!
I love Cher. She is an example for all mothers with transgendered children. She has unconditional love and support for her son and I love how she steps up and is being a mama bear.
Also, I think Chaz might get really buff and toned from doing DWTS. Kelly Osborne lost a crap ton of weight from doing it, so who knows?
Chaz had the chance of turning into a handsome man.
Instead he chose deliberately to turn into the ugliest possible man.
Including nasty beard, wife-beater, fat-belly, military haircut, tacky jail tattos etc.
I assume he did that in an attempt to appear as “masculine” as possible.
If any of these women “defendending” him, saw a similar looking unknown man on the street they probably would turn their heads away in disgust.
Nobody forced that person to appear on a TV-show. He’s not a “star” – only the pathetic child of a real star.
If you’re doing reality-TV you get bashed for your appearance. Either you do something about it or you own it.
As a mother I’d be sad for my son/daughter if they felt a need to alter their body to that extreme. But I would love him/her nonetheless; love for your child is not conditional.
#1, early teens get transgender surgery? It sounds irresponsible.
Philliper – you made my point exactly. I am conservative, but have no issues whatsoever with the transgendered community. Cher is right…this IS America and people are entitled to their own thoughts on issues, and might need time to understand (just like she did), or they might not agree at all. But being bullied by Cher is NOT the way to gain support from those that don’t understand….for whatever reason.
I too, hope he is accepted, does well, loses weight and goes far, but I have my doubts. I hope I’m wrong. To lose the weight, he’s going to have to go deep into the competition and to do that, he’s going to have to get the votes.
Not only has Kelly Osbourne lost alot of weight on the show but so has Kirstie Alley, Marie Osmond, Kyle Massey, just to name a few. Good luck Chaz.
Chaz isn’t the best looking guy. I”m sure he knows that. DWTS is probably his bid to help him lose weight and get healthier.
Cher is right to call people haters and losers who attack Chaz for something he is doing that hurts absolutely no one. Him being transgender does not at all affect me or anyone else and their families. Its people who feel the need to impose their control on other people.
There are plenty of religious, highly moral people who don’t feel the need to control other people’s lives. The ones who bash other people for their private lives are just bullies who need to look at their own failings before throwing stones.
@Philliper, Laurie M. — People are entitled to their own thoughts and beliefs. Cher is attacking the ones who are bullying Chaz so she has a right to use strong language in defense of the bullies. She is an angry mother.
I am really curious, since her son is on the show, if Cher will make a surprise appearance and sing one of her classics??? That would be AWESOME!!!
I feel for Chaz; the best way to handle posters with anonymously generated ignorance from the safety of their laptops, is to ignore them. Why validate their existence? I suspect that there are at least as many “supportive of Chaz” blogs like this one.
Go Chaz!
One of my female friends, who is transgender, got beat up in highschool pretty bad. She had to drop out of the highschool because of that, and instead get her GED.
@The Bobster – You don’t need the surgery in order to be labeled transgender. Plenty of teens are transgender, but have to wait until they are at least 18 before undergoing the surgery. And during those years before you get the surgery, you have to go through a lot of therapy, so they can make sure that you’re not going to change your mind about it down the road.
#17
He was born a girl, came out as transgendered in his early teens and began living as a boy shortly after. His parents were loving and responsible in supporting his unwavering choice. No surgery, but hormone shots in high school to begin the transition. He committed suicide shortly before his 18th birthday. He must have felt very alone (despite having great parents). Chaz might be able to do some good for kids who suffer in this way.
Laurie M.: …being bullied by Cher is NOT the way to gain support from those that don’t understand….for whatever reason.
============================================
Standing up for your child against ignorant people who attack him for his gender preference is not being a bully. Sure, she’s an angry mother. If anyone bullied your child you’d be angry, too.
Nice Cher. Because bullying people right back is the right way to get those people to listen, right? Shit.
Gotta love how this world only goes one way, and everybody who attempts to go the other way will be brutally shot down instead of being redirected with respect and gentleness that is required to soften a person up to a new, strange concept. Most people are hostile because they haven’t been acquainted with the concept, it feels alien and threatening, not because they’re evil and roasting LGBTQ kids over a bonfire each weekend.
Changes like this have to be implemented slowly and patiently, and calling those people “stupid idiots” will make sure that these people will NEVER become open-minded. They’ll become defensive. This is where reverse persecution starts – you start shunning those closed-minded people, discriminating them, because they don’t conform to what you perceive is right.
And the saddest thing is – you don’t even notice that you’re behaving exactly like your adversaries – you fight for your beliefs just like them, shun just like them, and most importantly – you’re convinced that YOU’RE right and completely and utterly refuse to even try to understand and reach the opposing side for a talk and a civil attempt to enlighten the other.
And don’t feed me this “she’s an angry mother” bs. Like being a mom gives you the right to act like the douche who insulted your kid. Besides, I believe Chaz has enough balls to shrug off any insults thrown towards him, anyway.
Now lets see how many hateful comments and attacks I will get for preaching humane behaviour towards everybody, even the ones that we consider ‘the ignorant enemy’. Look at yourselves, people! And then you wonder why there’s so much hate in the world.
Love Cher – she’s gonna love this – let the bitch slappin’ begin!!
Aw thats great, i am so happy Chaz has emotional support, it really makes all the difference. Like i tell my kid you may disappoint me, you may not always choose the path i would choose for you but there is nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you.
Cheyenne – even Cher admitted it took her time to understand what was happening to her son. She shouldn’t be mad at the public for needing that same time too (and it’s not even the public’s child).
As Cher said, it IS America. People can have different beliefs or take longer time to understand and accept.
Go Chaz Go!!!
@Laurie M. as a mother this is your child and when your child is being attacked all gloves are off. ppl are entitled to think what ever they want. but at this point they are singling out someone who has done nothing wrong to them, who has broken no laws.. so yeah i think stupid idiots is reasonable…
you “librals” always trying to ram “respect for ALL humans” down everyone’s throats… sheesh! [sarcasm]
hearing all the ugly comments made about chaz only gives me more respect for him and for others like him, the ones bullied bc they are “different” than what some people ASSume are “normal people”…
its only making me want to watch the show to vote and cheer him on [not at all my kind of show but i love supporting the LBGT’s!]
@Laurie: If people have a problem with Chaz they can leave him alone. They don’t have to like or accept him, but bullying anyone for any reason is inexcusable.
“*pity me. my boys have been holy terrors.”
Absolutely feel for you. I had one of those boys too. However, the cat also has my pity.
In 50 years the world will be a much kinder, more accepting place. No one would bat an eye at someone like Chaz in a reality show like this. This generation of right wingers “will” die off, thankfully, and they will take their hate and prejudices with them.
Change is happening already I see by the many kind comments here. I think Chaz is working on getting fit! Go Chaz!
@bellaluna, your post makes me so, so glad to have a girl! LOL Also, umm, I hope the cat was OK.
I will never, ever, ever get the obsession some people have with other individuals’ sexuality. I will never understand the extreme Christian right-wingers and their desperate desire to persecute gay and transgendered people. There are so many other things about which to be concerned — the economy is in the shitter, the deficit is at record highs (thanks, W, for all of that fiscal conservatism), people are losing jobs, and troops are still getting killed and maimed overseas. Yet what are these people screeching about the loudest? What is the number one, foremost thing on their minds? Hating gay people, of course!
You know, I’m not Christian (am an atheist), but can still appreciate the basic message of Jesus. I can only imagine how appalled he would be at how blindly some of his “followers” hate anyone who is different. I’m quite certain that he would be much more worried about things like war, genocide, hunger, disease, and equality. And yes, that includes equality and acceptance of LGTB individuals, too. If a non-Christian can work this out, why can’t his so-called followers? (Please note I’m only talking about the extreme hate-mongers, not the perfectly nice, normal people who are Christian.)
/rant
I see the same thing with people’s perceptions of Angelina Jolie and their unwillingness to forget her past. Bullies and xenophobics always pick on and dislike those who are “different”. Because they fear differences. They form their judgment on their perception of a person who has unusual interests or hobbies and *persecute* them for it. Look at the West Memphis 3 and how they were persecuted and prosecuted for something they didn’t do; just because they wore black, listened to heavy metal and were ‘different’. Its all the same, whether it be Chaz, WM3 or Jolie. Its all prejudice by prejudiced, small-minded people. The same type of people that would pick on someone in a wheelchair or laugh at someone missing an arm or some other form of disability and difference. The ones who dislike the 3 above are the same type of people. Prejudiced bigots who vent their hatred, fear and spite on those that can’t/won’t fight back.
People really have to get over their fear and insecurities of people who are different than them. This world is made up of all different types of people, and people had better learn to live together and get along together on this planet because we all have the right to belong. No one should be persecuted or slandered just because they are different. Its ignorance, intolerance, bigotry and xenophobia. And Chaz has as much right to be treated as a human being than anyone else does. And Cher is such a great mom for standing up for her son and saying like it is.
Difference is good. Its *ok* to be different. There is nothing wrong with difference, only the small-minded prejudiced bigots who judge them just for being different. Viva la difference!
you know some of this weight is probably due to hormone supplements. @20 who says he’s not the best looking guy?
Yes, the cat is fine. She’s almost 20 years old and too stinky to die. (I would say “too mean” but she’s really not. And she already smells like death, so…)
Having a girl is no guarantee of safety, GeekChic. My daughter (somehow) managed to get ahold of my razor (on the top of the freakin’ shower door, FFS!) and strip sheets of skin off her shins. It was only when she realised how much blood there was that I was alerted (by her shrieks) to what she’d done.
Good God, the bathroom looked like a stage-set from a bloody horror movie. Bloody handprints; streaks of blood down the walls; blood all over the floor.
It took the both of us to hold her down and apply the styptic pencil (invented by Satan himself) to stop the bleeding. Her screams still echo in my head to this day.
Girls are just more stealthy in their fuckery. That’s the only difference.
@Danzinger, you make some interesting points. I think people here in the comments aren’t really aiming for rational discourse with the opposition, but rather just venting frustration that we live in a world where there is still so much discrimination and injustice. Venting is necessary and healthy, and a celebrity gossip blog is a pretty harmless place in which to do it. But you’re right that in order to affect real change, a more rational and gentle approach is needed.
@GeekChic — Thanks for the final caveat, but let’s not forget other “traditional” or “extreme” hate-mongers. Don’t think this whole “transgendered thing” would go down so well in a Muslim, Orthodox Jewish, or Hindu culture either…and pretty sure it wouldn’t stop at mere bullying or discrimination against contestants on a reality TV show. Just like you clarified, it’s not all Christians speaking out against Chaz and/or the LGBT community in general, but I think the U.S. right-wing culture as a whole is a lot less hate-mongering (if you want to break it down to the relative extremity of persecutions suffered) than where I’m originally from. I’ve seen/heard a lot worse. Why not just state in general that closed-minded folks are the real issue here?
GeekChic – Yes. “Judge not lest ye be judged” and “Love others as yourself” isn’t really that complicated a message, no matter what you believe or don’t.
Whatever is “wrong” (in quotes because it’s not my place to judge) is going to be judged at a later time or place, by someone MUCH more qualified than me.
p.s. I hope my earlier post (right before your last one) doesn’t keep you up at night. 😉
@Bellaluna, I was literally cringing when I read what you wrote about your daughter. How horrifying! I’m so sorry for all involved. And now I know what my nightmares will be about tonight…
Thankfully, my daughter (who is 7) hasn’t ever done anything like that. She went through a phase where she was giving herself hickeys all up and down her arms, which was embarrassing as all hell but at least didn’t look like something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Most of her senseless destruction (like grinding a frosted cookie into the couch, frosting side down, because the couch would look pretty with the extra colors) has been pretty minor, honestly. But I know there is still plenty of time for her to commit some serious fuckery, LOL.
@sapphire straightjacket, you’re right that people from all over and all different belief systems can be bigots. I was speaking about the Christian right-wing because they are the largest and most vocal group in America. I’m sure that there are a lot of bigoted anti-gay people that belong to other religions and groups in America, they simply aren’t as loud or as visible. You’re certainly correct that closed-minded people in general are a problem across the globe.
Danzinger,
I dislike bullies as well, at the same time I do agree that a parent should defend their child against a bully. I also agree that we have the right to express our opinions. But you must understand that several of the comments made about Chaz were just hate speech, and that shouldn’t be coddled or treated with care. I will respect an opinion but once it crosses a line into hate speech there is no way that should be ignored or not addressed. Think of it this way, if some white hooded klan member came up to you screaming about how inferior ********* is would you actually treat them with kid gloves and expect that will sink in?? While you may be someone who is thoughful and trying to be fair minded, you must accept that there are others who are not and all the politeness and rational discussion in the world will not help. I am willing to debate and respect people I disagree with, as are the other people here, but from time to time we all shake our heads in frustration as to the level of ignorance and hate and say to ourselves… ‘that is one bigoted f*cking idiot’. And ignoring bigots, racists, sexist types, etc. doesn’t help fix the problem it is like turning up your car radio when the engine is making a scary noise, it has to be tackled head on even if it makes people uncomfortable.
@Danziger: I’m all for rationality but try being rational with a bully and see how far you get. My son was not a fighter and he was bullied for two years in elementary school by a kid who liked to pick on children he thought were weaker than he was. The bullying didn’t stop until my son finally hauled off and hit the kid so hard he knocked him down and bloodied his nose. The boy left my son alone after that. Unfortunately there is only one language some bullies understand.
I have to applaud Cher for speaking out against the bullies. Transgender isn’t contagious acknowledging them won’t start an epidemic. I’d be more interested in finding out if there is an actual hormonal imbalance that causes it than in judging families for supporting their gender identity.
Chaz has needed to lose weight for years, because it is unhealthy weight. DWTS has done that for many contestants (except for Bristol Palin for some reasons), and I hope the bigots of America have their plans foiled, and Chaz lasts long enough to get 20-30 lbs. off.
And, btw, bigots are haters and stupid.
@Rockermerry
Transgender folks don’t hate or dislike themselves or their bodies. They don’t “mutilate” themselves. I was going to blast you, but have dialed it back, and just suggest you educate yourself, because you are quite woefully ignorant about this subject.
I suggest watching Chaz’ doc on OWN, reading his book, or reading the excellent “She’s Not Here,” by jenny Boylan.
And no, I am not TG.
Good grief, some of you don’t get it, do you? YOU ARE NOT A “BULLY” IF YOU CALL A BIGOT OUT ON THEIR HATE AND BIGOTRY. Seeing people trying to rationalize their and other people’s bigotry always makes me give a bitter laugh. Willful ignorance.
And, for those making this a conservative vs. liberal issue? Dick Cheney is as RW as they come, and he has come out for marriage equality, and other LGBT rights issues. Voting GOP shouldn’t give one an excuse.
Sure there is freedom of speech, and so it’s only alright for people to stand up for him as well.
It’s funny how “freedom of speech” is always brought up when something stupid, mean, inconsiderate or hating is said. As if the “freedom” of speech grants you the “freedom” to hurt people. What do you tell your children when they get bullied? Do you tell them that it’s people’s freedom, so just suck it up? Having been bullied myself, I really don’t get the logic of saying, “cos of freedom of speech, you’re allowed to say mean and hateful things, and not care about others.”
If it was constructive criticism, then sure, why not. But a lot of the times, bullies are being bullies, bashing others “just because.”
Yes, people are entitled to their opinions, but bullying is bullying and being mean and ignorant is being mean and ignorant.
I am sure Chaz & Cher are looking forward to all the attention.
GeekChic – I am SO sorry. I don’t want to give anyone nightmares. But if your daughter is 7, I think you’re safe. (Mine was 5 at the time of the razor massacre.) But please do be prepared for the “why can’t I use your $20 eyeliner to paint” phase. And the “don’t I look pretty?” phase. And the “how come I can’t use $50 per 1/2 ounce cream” phase.
Now, on to the “Cher defending Chaz” thing: I will defend my children to the death. Provided they are not being assholes and attacking others.
If my child is attempting to be whatever he/she believes he was born to be, I will defend him/her.
I LOVE my kids.
I’m glad Chaz is more comfortable with himself. I agree, there is too much hate in the world. However, I think DWTS only asked him because of the sensationalism it would bring. The reasoning is taudry and cheap. That show has been going downt the tubes for the past year. Next round it’ll be some stars nanny or mechanic.
@Seal Team 6
As I said, everybody is free to do whatever they want to their own body. It is quite clear, though, that a general, ample trend of dislike and discomfort towards the bodies we were born with is unfolding. And I was not only addressing transgender issues but every issue that involves the body and it’s modification (self harming, excessive plastic surgery, eating disorders and so on).
There is a wide and diffused incapability of self acceptance, and I assure you that modifying your body through surgery to change gender (genitalia modification, facial features readjusting, breast reduction/augmentation…) is part of a mutilation process (my uncle is a surgeon and has performed one of these procedures, and even he has to admit this). Then, if the person is convinced and wants to do this to themselves, they are very free to do so. It does not change the fact that they strongly disliked their bodies, otherwise they would have not undergone the process in the first place.
I find very disturbing how this kind of emotional, psychological and physical pain can just be addressed with: “Good, wanna change your body? ‘Cause you know, more power to you” instead of :”Let’s talk about what are the deeper roots of your issues here, first.” Takes years of therapy to unveil even minor issues’ foundations, let alone more life altering and deep set gender issues!
That is all I was saying. Now if you want to call me ignorant, be aware of the fact that I documented myself through medical documents and researches, both surgical and psychological, on this issue (my uncle willingness to perform this procedure had triggered quite an interesting debate in my family).
Have a good day.
I admit, Im an incredibly superficial person. I could care less about Chaz being a man rather than its about damn time he lost a bit of weight! When ever I saw pics of him I wondered how far could he walk before he got winded? How does he maneuver around restaurant tables and not hit people in the back of the head?! How high must his blood pressure be like? It will be awesome to watch this season and see his weight loss.
This so called “family values” group is just a bunch of ignorant, narrow-minded, bible beating, fox news watching, judgmental haters, who are afraid of anything that doesn’t coincide with their archaic system of beliefs. What a terrible thing to say about Chaz. I hope she wins dwts!
Bellaluna,
I remember putting my mothers very expensive perfume on my dolls and the dogs butt (it was smelly) and helping out by polishing my dads white shoes (it was the 70’s) with black shoe polish… and my mothers personal favorite was when I ‘cleaned’ the wood floors for my mothers luncheon with her med students and used Endust, which as it turns out is VERY slippery and apparently not intended for floors, which I discovered when she walked in and hit the ‘clean’ floor, went ankles up and landed on her kazoo.
LOVE YOU CHAZ! You’ve got my vote!
@ bellaluna — I shaved skin off my shins when I was in the 7th grade too! Not sheets and sheets, but enough that I had a scab and a scar FOREVER. Taught me not to push so hard when I shave. I think it’s a lesson we all have to learn.
Rocketmary,
There is ample evidence that some (not all) TG’s have Klinefelters Syndrome or Turners, congenital conditions where anatomical sex is atypical. They may have been raised as a ‘boy’ or a ‘girl’ but felt the opposite, and even without chromosomal or gonadal issues, if a person feels in their soul that they are not the gender others have identified them as it is totally acceptable for them to embrace who they are. They aren’t hurting anyone, but denying themselves the freedom to live and love IS hurting someone very deeply, themselves.
If you have a cleft palate and choose to fix it that isn’t mutilation, it is improving your quality of life, which is exactly what TG’s are doing, they aren’t hurting anyone just trying to improve their own quality of life and feel like they fit in… what is bad about that?
@CherryRose: I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like for these kids in high school, having to face that hell day after day. A gay friend of mine dropped out of school, took the GED and went to college at the age of sixteen. They weren’t much more accepting of him in college but at least they let him alone.
I side with danziger, dorothy and hibiscus; the “family values” group wasn’t even named in the article, and these groups are so simple minded they are easy effortless targets for libs like slapping the proverbial baby; no courage is required to attack them, however, dorothy is right, if chaz were some random transgendered person would he even be picked NO. this is for ratings; these shows have a shelf life and expiration dates are fast approaching; who’s next snooki and the plumber next door. As they say in hollywood any pub is good pub – we are all talking about this right?
@ The Bobster:
#1, early teens get transgender surgery? It sounds irresponsible.
Actually the earlier the better when it comes to transitioning. After all, puberty brings on a lot of changes to the body, some of which are irreversible (i.e., for someone born male you can’t “undo” growing to six feet tall and developing broad shoulders).
If the kid is certain about their gender identity – some trans folk know from when they’re 4 or 5 years old! – and a therapist has diagnosed them, then at the very least hormone blockers to delay puberty would be helpful! Otherwise, they’re developing secondary sex characteristics in the wrong direction, which could impact their lives negatively as adults when it comes to passing as the gender they identify as. (Which let’s face it, brings on a number of negative things in our society – from job discrimination to being gay/trans bashed, resulting in possible loss of life!)
I can’t imagine how hard it is as a parent to comes to grips with having a transgender child, but I do think it’s much harder for the child! It’s irresponsible not to have your kid’s best interest in mind. Denying who they are because you’d rather have a “normal” child is ultimately quite selfish because it’s not your life — it’s theirs that you’re messing with. I think it’s realistic to have mixed feelings and mourn for the life you initially envisioned for them not coming into fruition, but denying them emotional support and any options for treatment is a recipe for disaster. Depression and suicide is quite high for trans kids, so it’s playing with fire in my opinion.
I don’t have any kids of my own, and honestly I do think I would have a hard time if my kid turned out to be trans but I know that I would love and support them no matter what. Their desire to change their body has nothing to do with me. It’s not about me or any reflections on me as a parent. It’s about them feeling comfortable in their own skin and living life the way they feel they were truly meant to.
@TaylorB I am aware of the issues that hermaphrodites and people with malformed genitalia deal with. Has I said, I did research the subject of genitalia modification in the past. This, however, does not fit into the general discussion at hand. Since we are now discussing the topic, though, and we feel inclined to point out possible interesting reads, I suggest “Middlesex” by J. Eugenides. Interesting book, beautifully written and a good starter novel on the topic, to get acquainted with the subject.
It is most clear that most people who undergo gender changes are not, however, affected by the physical and neurochemical problems you mentioned; in fact, Klinefelters Syndrome, Hermafrodites and genitalia malformation cases seem to be much better studied on both the body and the mind side than cases of transgenderism linked to mainly psychological discomfort. Ironic, since these cases are most less frequent.
Jover,
I suspect that besides having very famous parents, the fact that ‘Becoming Chaz’ his documentary is up for 3 Emmy Awards this year probably vaulted Chaz past other TG’s in the ‘stars’ part of DWTS.
Cher can defend her son by all the name calling she wants. My only point is that Cher admitted it took her time to understand and accept. If Chaz doesn’t want our understanding or acceptance of the LGBT community, then I would expect he not mention it on the show?
Taylorb given that there are way too many awards shows, and they are all overrated mostly backslapping rear end kissing,and there are already hundreds of documentaries on this subject, I’m not sure his emmy nominations really means anything just saying. I was done with the show when last season they trotted out buck teeth miley cyrus as their “musical” act. I was stunned and saddened that this was the best they could do. I have nothing against chaz, but really, of what is he a “star?” Unless the term “star” is completely generic and watered down.
RocketMerry, (sorry for mispelling that last time)
I guess that we must agree to disagree, I do not personally consider gender reassignment to be mutilation, everyone who goes through the GR process is seriously vetted by doctors to determine their mental state for usually months and up to a year, so the ‘underlying issues’ you have concerns about are sussed out pre-op, if a person is not emotionally fit for the procedure it will not be done, period. The U of MN is one of the top areas for gender reassignment, and they do not let people make that choice willy nilly and without MAJOR psych evals.
Laurie M. wrote: “If Chaz doesn’t want our understanding or acceptance of the LGBT community, then I would expect he not mention it on the show?”
I am a bit confused by this comment. First off he isn’t the one mentioning it other people are, secondly could you possibly rephrase that in general because it really doesn’t make any sense. I am honestly not trying to be a jerk, but I am not sure what you are getting at there.
But either way, he is a TG, probably the most famous one and made a film about his transition, not to mention his parents are Sonny and Cher so like it or not it is gonna come up.
Jover,
I am sorry but since he does have 3 Emmy nods, and his mom is CHER!!!! I will give him a bit of wiggle room. You want to gripe about what designates a ‘star’??? in DWTS?? and doesn’t ‘belong’. Let’s talk Rob Kardashian… or anyone in that silly family (other than Bruce, Mr Wheaties Box Jenner who gets a pass for all eternity) for that matter. Or how about Kate Gosselin? The only thing she is famous for is being a b*tch, bad frosted hair and breeding like a rat in heat.
@TaylorB
I agree that we have to “agree to disagree”. I respect your opinion and hope that rational and deeply thought out discussions can always take place whenever topics of this importance are concerned.
I do consider all procedures that involve cutting out parts of the body to fall under the category of mutilation.
Although the subjects are evaluated, it does seem like much greater effort is needed in determining the reasons and roots of such desires in order to find appropriate course of action.
Said that, I believe that every person has the right to choose for themselves and I do not in the least condone bullying.
Ladies, Ah, yes, the things girls do…I wish I had a more prominent memory (for I have LOTS) but that is the thing that stands out in my mind most.
That, and the Hard Candy eyeliner incidents.
But I digress…
TaylorB – I don’t think I am doing a good job today of saying what I mean. I support Chaz and understand it is quite a challenge to be who he truly is. Cher can support and defend her son, but some people need time to understand (just like Cher did). If he wants to be a spokesperson for the LGBT community, then expect some people to be ignorant and maybe need time to understand. Just because someone is unfamiliar to gender reassignment doesn’t mean they are not willing to learn about it. But I am also not naive to think that there are not haters out there too. If Chaz chooses to be a spokesperson for this, he and his family will face some bigotry & nasty ignorance but hopefully they can be better than the name calling and elevate the discourse. If Chaz chooses not to be a spokesperson for transgender, thats fine too – but then I hope he can do the show as the man he is and not even bring up the issue…he’s a man and that’s that.
Perhaps I am still not typing the words as I mean them, but it’s the best I can do.
LaurieM,
I am sorry I was just a bit confused about your comment, it wasn’t personal, I may have just read it wrong.
As for Chaz, I agree it will take some folks some time to deal with his reality. However, he seems like a pretty brave guy who was initially shoved into the spotlight (even as a small child) due to who his parents are and even considering initially coming out and then going through gender reassignment in front of the whole world he has handled it as a true gentleman, with grace and dignity. His mother and father (rip) must be terribly proud.
This is very sad. Chaz is clearly a woman pretending to be a man. It is very obvious. Sinful, childish games people play. It disgusts me.
“Good grief, some of you don’t get it, do you? YOU ARE NOT A “BULLY” IF YOU CALL A BIGOT OUT ON THEIR HATE AND BIGOTRY.”
Oh dear god thank you for this.
Kryllian, perhaps I should just ignore your post, as that’s generally the best way to deal with trolls, but your comment is a) factually incorrect 2)disgusting, and 3) nonsensical – “Sinful, childish games people play”. ??
Ok, that’s 4 minutes I’ll never get back. Damn my compulsive responding.
I just want to applaud the posters on Celebitchy, and Celebitchy, Kaiser, and Bedhead themselves. It’s been so nice to come here and read comments about Chaz that were not filled with vile hatred and ignorance. The hate being hurled at him on other sites is disgusting. Coming here as always restores my faith in humanity a bit on issues like this. It’s one thing to disagree with what he has done, which some people on here do. But, there’s no reason to be so unrelentingly cruel towards him as many people on other sites have been.
I fully support Chaz and Cher and I hope he does a great job and proves all of the people who are rooting against him wrong. Once again good on everyone here. And a special thanks to Celebitch, Kaiser, and Bedhead for vigilantly monitoring your site and demanding decency from the people who post here.
Edit: What I said applies to everyone except posters like Kryllian.
Not cool that nasty epithets are being hurled at Chaz; however, how is Chaz going to wag his finger at people making judgements about him when Chaz just labeled Shiloh Jolie-Pitt as a potential transgender just because she doesn’t wear dresses?
As far as I’m concerned, Chaz is not an expert in anything, except being a desperate buttinsky who is determined to stay relevant. He takes after his mother, in that respect.
Re: TaylorB:September 1st, 2011 at 11:41 am
Ok, my last post, for reals.
I debated responding to Danzigers post of 10:47 am, because my reaction to it was so strong. Like gritting my teeth strong. But your post addressed my concerns pretty well, in a more rational way than I could have managed. For that I thank you!!
To the poster who thought Lacey, growing up Mormon, might just be giving lipservice for the media, I say, not so. I am an active Mormon (LDS), so I guess people would call me conservative, and I fully support Chaz. Not all Mormons are the same.
while you guys argue with one another, i will give my own opinion. chastity bono…the beautiful daughter of sonny and cher bono, is now a TOTAL FREAK…since the great sonny bono, unfortunately died. cher hated what she did to herself,and she STILL DOES. she is terrifed she will lose her freaken daughter/son..whatever..you call her. chaz is so overweight because she is psychologically unstable…unsure…doesnt know what she/he is…other than confused. she/he will ruin the whole romantic element of dwts..she can be whatever she wants to be, but i believe she needs to STOP BE AN ATTENTION WHORE. if chaz were really ok with being a female to a male, then she would go live her life as a male, with this so called girlfriend,,and stfu…but, she cant, b/c she is NOT clear as to what she is…it is totally crazy, and so is she. enough..it is freaky,,,and nauseating to all.
Cher is definitely standing up for Family Values. A mother’s love for her child is unconditional – those were the family values I was taught.
I’m sure this wasn’t easy for her or any other parent to deal with but she is standing by her child regardless of her child’s choices.
anonymous – I’m not a fan of either Sony or Cher – they were a freak show way before Chaz came along. I’d be f*cked up too if I had them for parents. Regardless, even though I am a lot more liberal than you are. I agree with you perhaps with less strident wording.
Chaz is not happy with her/himself. His/her weight is dangerously high. It is more than an aesthetic thing. It’s can cause premature death. I was hoping that s/he would start to lose weight after this sex “change” – I’ve heard s/he hasn’t taking the final step which to me makes her a woman but to each his/her own.
I’m hoping this is what this DWTS thing is about.
DWTS was never “romantic” in my eyes. It’s always been about has-beens and wanna bes wanting more attention. Chaz is odd to put it best but I’d rather deal with her/him than that porn slut Kendra or Kardassian and that horrid Kirstie Alley.
@Anonymous: You know what, I very much doubt Chaz gives a tin fart what hateful people like you and Kryllian think. He’s living his life and minding his business. I suggest you do the same.
Tell this to my 70- 8o’s year old patients who loved and watched this show because it was like old Hollywood. So selfish these producers..Is there nothing left for our seniors? Stop the shoving in faces.Not everyone appreciates it.
@ZenBitch: What’s so “horrid” about Kirstie Alley? She’s got a body image problem she’s unrealistic about, but I can’t see what’s so horrible about that.
I never understood the desire to change ones sex. It seems to me that it’s more of a body image disorder than something that needs to be changed or “made right.”
But that doesn’t mean I will go out of my way to hate on anyone who is transgendered. I think Chaz has a right to do the show and Chaz should be treated like any other human being. Even though I don’t understand or necessarily agree with the course Chaz took I am not going to hate this person because of that choice.
The thing is: I really DON’T understand, so I see no reason to hate something that I have no empathy or understanding of. I would rather work towards understanding Chaz’s mindset and understand why people feel the need to change their gender. I think many of these detractors feel the same way but they lash out at anything/anyone that they do not understand. They’re too ignorant to make any attempts at understanding.
It seems there are multiple opinions regarding this issue, and while they seem to diverse they overall have been respectfully discussed. Personally I support Chaz in his personal choices, some here do not but they have been very cool about their position and debating the issue, and while I disagree with them it is nice to hear/read a position without some silly flame war nonsense. And that kind of respectful discussion is why I love this site.
LeeLoo,
I think you are much closer to empathy and understanding than you think. GR is certainly off the beaten path, but if you look at is as a person who has spent their life feeling like they don’t ‘fit in’ and want to just feel normal and this is how they do so, so that they can lead a happy and full life… it may seem strange at first but it makes sense for them, and that is what matters. We all deserve to be happy and feel like we have a place in this wonkadoo world.
I have a 2 inch long scar from shaving. 6th grade. 12th birthday. Home from camp. Not pretty.
Chaz? No matter how you feel, how would you feel if it was your kid? THAT is the bottom line.
OK. Who in the picture of Cher and her daughter/son has had more surgery? I say Cher!
I think as humans we are, unfortunately, prone to being wary of things we don’t understand enough about. The people who feel the need to pass judgement on Chaz and say such insulting things about him, as well as other transgendered individuals, simply haven’t educated themselves on the subject.
For instance, a transgendered person is NOT a homosexual, nor are they cross-dressing, nor are they ‘mental cases’.
Try to imagine your physical being and mental being at war with one another — mentally, you know you are meant to be a certain way, but physically, it doesn’t match up and you are trapped. I can’t even fathom the amount of turmoil this must cause a person.
I sincerely hope that more people will become enlightened on transgender issues so that we can lessen the amount of intolerance if even the slightest bit.
By the way, for those of you who are genuinely interested in knowing, it is proper to refer to Chaz as ‘he’, ‘him’, etc.
I have an honest question (don’t I always? LOL!): isn’t he getting married? Who is he marrying? And now for the big one (for anyone who may know or have insider info): when a person is transgendered, are they typically attracted to members of the opposite sex from their surgery? As in, if a woman has surgery to become a man, does she (now called “he”) have attraction to other women? Or men? So sorry. I’ve never met a transgendered person before. At least, not one who wasn’t working as a prostitute and had time to sit and talk to me about it.
Blithe: So sorry. I’ve never met a transgendered person before. At least, not one who wasn’t working as a prostitute and had time to sit and talk to me about it.
==============================================
I wonder if you realize how snarky that comment is. You don’t really want to know what transgendered people are like; you want to confirm your own prejudices about them as “unsavory” people that nice people don’t associate with.