Marking the first public statement since her daughter Chastity Bono — now Chaz Bono — announced that she was undergoing a sex change, Cher is coming out to lend words of support for her daughter.
Cher says that Chaz is going through “a difficult journey, but one that I will support,” and says that she respects “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,” in a statement to UsMagazine.com.
Cher continued with kind words for her daughter, saying that her support is infinite.
“The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child.”
TMZ reported that Chaz Bono was undergoing a sex change from female to male. Bono’s publicist Howard Bragman stated,
“Yes, it’s true — Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity.
He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his ‘coming out’ did nearly 20 years ago.”
It’s gonna take a lot of work to remove those massive breasts, eh?
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Cher is about to get a new son. She must be thrilled.
Chastity Bono, the celebrity offspring of the singer and late husband Sonny Bono, is changing gender from female to male, her publicist told the Daily News on Thursday.
The 40-year-old, known to family and friends as Chaz, came out as a lesbian nearly two decades ago. Bono intends to make the transition from woman to man, publicist Howard Bragman said.
“Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity,” Bragman said.
“He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by loved ones.
“It is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his coming out did nearly 20 years ago.”
Bragman declined to answer any further questions about the sex change.
Transitioning typically involves hormone therapy, and sometimes – although not always – includes surgery.
source: Cher’s daughter Chastity Bono is changing gender from female to male [the daily mail]
UPDATE (James): I had just posted this on OTB and was going to cross-post here but see Allie beat me to it. I’ll just append:
A story of interest only to people over a certain age: “Chastity Bono is having a sex change to become a man.”
A spokesman for Bono, born a girl to Sonny and Cher, says he “has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity” and began the sex-change process earlier this year.
Publicist Howard Bragman said Bono is proud of his decision and hopes “that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue.”
The 40-year-old writer, activist and reality-TV star came out as gay 20 years ago, Bragman said.
In the book “Family Outing: A Guide to the Coming-Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, & Their Families,” Bono describes the realization of being “somehow different — specifically different from who my mom expected me to be.”
I grew up on “Sonny and Cher” and Chastity is only slightly younger than I am, so there’s something a bit surreal about this. I am reminded of a classic lyric from the late, great Jerry Reed:
Now, there ain’t no sexy dresses
And there ain’t no beehive hair
Just boys who look like girls
Who look like boys, who look like Cher
On a more serious note, I’m never sure what the implications of this are. Will Bono be considered “straight” after successful reassignment surgery? Or was s/he never gay to begin with, merely transgendered and unaware of that fact.
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