Chaz Bono is under the impression that "Dancing With the Stars" is a dance
show, where, like the other contestants, he intends to dance.
And though to date he's done a lot of interviews and a documentary about
transgender issues and his own transition, Bono said he doesn't plan to use his
"DWTS" stint as any kind of soapbox.
"I'm going to be dancing. I'm not up there talking about anything other than
dancing," Bono said Tuesday on "Good
Morning America." "People who don't have gender dysphoria aren't going to
catch it by watching me dance on television."
He wants America to see "that I'm just a regular guy. All these ideas of,
'Children shouldn't watch me, I'm going to be confusing,' ... it's crazy." That
said, "it would have made all the difference in the world in my life" had he
seen a show like this, featuring someone like him, when he was growing up as
Chastity Bono.
Chaz, born the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, started the gender
reassignment process in March 2009, legally becoming a man in May
2010.
Bono's inclusion in the cast has sparked criticism from various corners plus
calls to boycott "DWTS." It also appears to have distracted folks from the
notion that producers considered pairing
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's" Carson Kressley with a male dancer and the
fact that contestant Elisabetta Canalis shacked up out of wedlock with George
Clooney for years. Don't even get started on David
Arquette.
Incidentally, Bono will dance with pro Lacey Schwimmer, Kressley with Anna
Trebunskaya, Canalis with Val Chmerkovskiy (brother of Maks) and Arquette with
Kym Johnson.
"One of the great things about the show is you can go into it with a
preconception about a celebrity, and that often changes once you see the show
because you see a completely different side to them," exec producer Conrad
Green said.
"It's a process of discovery," Green said. And in Bono's case, "We booked
him because he's a great guy with an amazing story."
show, where, like the other contestants, he intends to dance.
And though to date he's done a lot of interviews and a documentary about
transgender issues and his own transition, Bono said he doesn't plan to use his
"DWTS" stint as any kind of soapbox.
"I'm going to be dancing. I'm not up there talking about anything other than
dancing," Bono said Tuesday on "Good
Morning America." "People who don't have gender dysphoria aren't going to
catch it by watching me dance on television."
He wants America to see "that I'm just a regular guy. All these ideas of,
'Children shouldn't watch me, I'm going to be confusing,' ... it's crazy." That
said, "it would have made all the difference in the world in my life" had he
seen a show like this, featuring someone like him, when he was growing up as
Chastity Bono.
Chaz, born the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, started the gender
reassignment process in March 2009, legally becoming a man in May
2010.
Bono's inclusion in the cast has sparked criticism from various corners plus
calls to boycott "DWTS." It also appears to have distracted folks from the
notion that producers considered pairing
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's" Carson Kressley with a male dancer and the
fact that contestant Elisabetta Canalis shacked up out of wedlock with George
Clooney for years. Don't even get started on David
Arquette.
Incidentally, Bono will dance with pro Lacey Schwimmer, Kressley with Anna
Trebunskaya, Canalis with Val Chmerkovskiy (brother of Maks) and Arquette with
Kym Johnson.
"One of the great things about the show is you can go into it with a
preconception about a celebrity, and that often changes once you see the show
because you see a completely different side to them," exec producer Conrad
Green said.
"It's a process of discovery," Green said. And in Bono's case, "We booked
him because he's a great guy with an amazing story."
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