Waltzing and Educating, Chaz Bono to Appear on Dancing With the Stars
September 1st, 2011 at 2:16 pm
The following post is from Allyson Robinson, HRC Deputy Director of Diversity:
http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2011/09/waltzing-and-educating-chaz-bono-to-appear-on-dancing-with-the-stars/#.TmDgMTtaPUIWhen Chaz Bono, son of mega-star Cher and her late husband Sonny Bono, began speaking publicly about his gender transition from female to male it sparked a national conversation about transgender issues. The announcement this week by ABC that Chaz would appear as a contestant on the network's wildly popular reality show Dancing with the Stars, however, caused a different kind of stir. The comments I've seen and heard have ranged from the supportive to the confused; a few have been downright offensive. It's all highlighted for me many Americans' inexperience with transgender and gender-variant people and the work that lies ahead of us to secure equal rights for all.
Judging by the reactions I've seen, ABC may have lost a viewer or two, but given what I'm hearing from my friends and family the choice of Chaz has gained them even more. I'll certainly be watching. I have no doubt that the man can dance, but beyond that I'm even more certain that Chaz will represent himself, his family, and transgender people everywhere with the same style and grace he's demonstrated since he announced his transition.
