Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Chaz Bono makes first appearance post-transistion announcement
By Jennifer Vanasco, editor in chief, 365gay.com 07.10.2009 3:10pm EDT

http://www.365gay.com/blog/chaz-bono-makes-first-appearance-post-transistion-announcement/ (http://www.365gay.com/blog/chaz-bono-makes-first-appearance-post-transistion-announcement/)

Chaz Bono made his first public appearance last night since announcing his female to male gender transition.

Here's Chaz and girlfriend Jennifer Elia at 2009 Outfest's Opening Night Gala of "La Mission" at the Orpheum in Los Angeles.

Chaz is so likeable - and I think it's great that the transgender community has another public face. The Daily News did a surprisingly warm story about his appearance last night, which is another good sign.

Quote from: Matilda on August 08, 2009, 03:36:34 PM
I'm ready to bet my pay-check that he thinks that being morbidly obese is going to help him "pass".  Well, sorry but it isn't working at all (not even with the T).  Get your butt on a treadmill and start dieting.

Give the guy a break. He might have a slow metabolism or a genetic predisposition to be heavy.

Furthermore, different trans people deal with their pre-coming-out unhappiness in different ways. Suppressed or denied body dysphoria in FTMs can result in a tendency to extrafeminize the body through overeating. Depression can impede exercise routines.

You should have seen me a year ago, right before I came out of the closet. I was severely depressed and quite overweight. I came out of the closet and immediately started taking better care of myself. I lost about thirty pounds pre-transition and have lost even more since I started T. I now believe that my obesity was caused by a combination of the wrong hormones and my denial of the extreme gender dysphoria that I was suffering. Also, when I was in my thirties I found it more and more painful when people "mistook" the thinner me for a guy. That made it virtually impossible for me to deny my true gender. So I gained a lot of weight and started looking undeniably female. I was miserable, but people didn't "sir" me anymore; I could stay safely in the closet.

Anyway, Chaz might always be heavy. Or he might not. Isn't that his business?

I thought his first 'out' event was the film fest, how many firsts does he get?

Quote from: Arch on August 08, 2009, 05:32:27 PM
Give the guy a break. He might have a slow metabolism or a genetic predisposition to be heavy.

Furthermore, different trans people deal with their pre-coming-out unhappiness in different ways. Suppressed or denied body dysphoria in FTMs can result in a tendency to extrafeminize the body through overeating. Depression can impede exercise routines.

You should have seen me a year ago, right before I came out of the closet. I was severely depressed and quite overweight. I came out of the closet and immediately started taking better care of myself. I lost about thirty pounds pre-transition and have lost even more since I started T. I now believe that my obesity was caused by a combination of the wrong hormones and my denial of the extreme gender dysphoria that I was suffering. Also, when I was in my thirties I found it more and more painful when people "mistook" the thinner me for a guy. That made it virtually impossible for me to deny my true gender. So I gained a lot of weight and started looking undeniably female. I was miserable, but people didn't "sir" me anymore; I could stay safely in the closet.

Anyway, Chaz might always be heavy. Or he might not. Isn't that his business?

This.
I've also noted that a lot of pre-transition guys go to either extreme - from eating disorders to overweight. I think it's an attempt to get away from the natural female body shape. Either starving curves off or hiding them under fat.

Quote from: Matilda on August 08, 2009, 06:12:03 PM
When you are a "public figure", especially the son of Cher and Sonny, you become everyone's business.


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Sorry, I disagree. How he chooses to live and present is his business no mater how public he is. His weight is his business and his alone. None of us is perfect and even fewer of us like to have our maladies and imperfections ridiculed. 

LOL! remind me to never get famous.

Hey, don't ever get famous.  Don't announce your plans to transition via your own press agent.  Don't set yourself up as a public figure, if you don't want the public input.

Good point Tekla. Good thing he's not Amy Whinehouse!  :laugh: :laugh:

Chaz has more than enough access to money (in the kind of terms that most people don't even begin to understand) to have done this in total privacy if that's what he had wanted.  But like the 'lesbian episode' (guess that didn't last did it?) he choose to do it in a very public way.  Do things in public, you get public criticism.

Quote from: heatherrose on August 09, 2009, 06:49:06 AM

No matter what the guy does, he's gonna get public criticism
and who's business is it what life he lived while he was in denial?
If it were me and I knew that every detail of my coming and going
was guaranteed to show up in every skag news rag, along side of
all manner of sleazy speculation, about my life, reported as if it were fact,
what would I have done differently? Given the extensive resources at my
disposal, I would have called a press conference and invited each and every
arrogant, obnoxious, self important botsh to "French My Obese Buttocks"
with a "Chili, Philly Cheese Steak" in one hand and my brand new
state of the art equipment in the other... but that's just me.

Lol.  I think I love you, Heather Rose.  ;D  Amen to all you said.  (And Nero and Arch as well.)

is this really about chaz bono or is it about something else?  it'd appear that some people are blowing things out of proportion, so take a deep breath, lay off the bottle, put out the cigarette & take a long nap!

It's about cashing in.  Like he did with the Lesbian deal.  Write a book, get paid, become a spokeperson, get paid. 

He was also on Celebrity Fit Club, a weight loss reality show for celebrities. He also tried to sell his transition story as another reality TV show so he is putting himself out there, making what he can off of his status. I think when you "cash in" as Tekla stated you are putting yourself out there for criticism.  Cheers,Myles

Hopefully Sonny's genes will kick in and Chaz will grow a mighty beard.

Not everybody can easily pass and that should never be an issue. The issue is the happiness of the person in transition. Passing will or will not come as time passes and they grow into being who they are.

I don't care about the writing a book and being on reality TV stuff.  Lately I've been wishing I could sell anything I make or write.  If all I had to do is write a book that people would buy because of my parentage, then I would do it if I thought it would cover my living expenses for even just a couple of years.

I'm not directing this at anyone. It's just my thoughts after having read through the thread.

Quote from: Matilda on August 10, 2009, 07:17:59 PM
Of course not.  I know you're not directing this at anyone.  That would be totally unbecoming of a moderator. :)


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I'm like that 'in real life' too. My comments are not directed at anyone. They are just thoughts to be ignored or considered by others.