Chaz Bono Honors True Identity, Announces Transgender Transition
Chaz Bono, the only child of singers Sonny and Cher famously came out of the closet as a lesbian two decades ago. Today Chaz’s spokesperson Howard Bragman announced, as reported by TMZ:
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. We ask that the media respect Chaz’s privacy during this long process as he will not be doing any interviews at this time.
Chaz was GLAAD’s Entertainment and Media Director, and has been a visible face in the LGBT community as a singer, songwriter, civil rights advocate, journalist, and author. His announcement, like his coming out nearly two decades ago, will hopefully positively encourage media and public perceptions of LGBT people. Thank you, Chaz for your willingness to be a public face for such personal and sensitive matters.
Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said in response to Chaz’s announcement:
Coming out as transgender is an extremely personal decision and one that is never made lightly. We look forward to hearing Chaz’s story in his own words in the future. GLAAD encourages media outlets to cover this story accurately, and to avoid speculation about the details of Chaz’s story before he is ready to share them.
Part of covering trangender stories is to use the name and pronoun preferred by the transgender person — in this case, referring to him as Chaz and using male pronouns.
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