Cher and the late Sonny Bono’s child, Chaz, made headlines this June when he announced plans to transition from a female to male. Chaz’s publicist said at the time that he would not be granting media interviews and that “we ask that the media respect Chaz’s privacy during this long process.” Then, last month, TMZ reported that Chaz, 40, had signed a “high six figure” deal for his memoir, tentatively titled Coming Clean. (There were also rumors of a documentary-style reality show chronicling Chaz’s transition, but we haven’t heard about that since.)

According to TMZ, Chaz’s book won’t be due out until 2011. It looks like he could be doing some early promotion, though. Contact Music reports that Chaz will appear on Entertainment Tonight on Thursday. I couldn’t confirm this as there’s nothing about it on ET’s website, and it’s possible that all ET has is an offhand comment he made to a photographer who happened to videotape it. Contact Music reports it as an interview though.

CHER’s former daughter CHASTITY BONO has opened up about the sex-change procedure which will officially transform a she into a he in a candid new TV interview.

Now known as Chaz, Bono underwent months of gender reassignment treatment at the beginning of last year
Bono now speaks in a deeper tone and reveals hormones have already started to change his body.

In a new interview with news show Entertainment Tonight, which will debut on Thursday (29Oct09), Chaz reveals he felt like a male from “the time I was a child,” and adds he’s really beginning to live like a guy: “I shave about once a week now.”

[From Contact Music]

A potential interview with Entertainment Weekly doesn’t sound promising and I was hoping Chaz would give his first interview to a more prestigious outlet, like Oprah. I’ll admit I haven’t seen Entertainment Weekly in a few years though as I’ve been living overseas.

I looked through the Chaz Bono archives on ET’s site, and they do have a very respectful, balanced interview with Alexis Arquette about her experience as a transgendered person in America. She says that it wasn’t as hard coming out as a transgendered person from a famous family and that there are places in the world where transgendered people can be legally murdered in the streets. She tells Chaz that “he is not alone and he’s never been alone and anyone like him will never be alone.”

As for what Alexis feels comfortable talking about, she tells nosy people “don’t go poking up my shirt or down my top. It’s just not appropriate. It’s not right. I know people want to understand this subject, but not at the cost of someone else’s privacy.” Alexis says that the People Magazine cover story titled “Chastity’s Choice” isn’t technically accurate, because he “made the choice to come out as transgendered [he] never made the choice of being transgendered. Nobody would chose this life… We all just want to be accepted for who we are.” As for what Alexis and Chaz are hoping for in terms of public acceptance, Alexis explains it simply: “A smile is so much better than pointing at somebody.”

I’m very interested in hearing what Chaz has to say in his first interview since the change, and I’m sending him a smile.

Chaz is shown out on 10/24/09. He’s lost weight since the last time we saw him. Credit: Coqueran/Fame Pictures

Chaz Bono is currently undergoing the transition from female to male. Chaz, 40, is the once-daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono and was featured on their variety show as a young girl. He announced plans in June to become male, stating through a representative that he would “honor his true identity” after “many years of consideration.” Chaz is thought to be engaged to his girlfriend of several years, Jennifer Elia, and the two are rumored to be planning children through invitro treatments for Jennifer.

According to TMZ, Chaz has received a six figure deal for a memoir detailing his life and focusing on his gender transition:

Coming soon to a New York Times Bestseller list near you — the memoir of Chaz Bono.

TMZ has learned Bono sold the rights to a book chronicling his decision to transition from a female to a male. According to a publishing source, Bono signed “a handsome, six-figure deal.”

The book, tentatively titled “Coming Clean,” will be published by Dutton sometime in Spring 2011.

[From TMZ.com]

In June, the entertainment editor of The Advocate, Corey Scholibo, told Good Morning America that Chaz could become the most famous face of the transgender movement. “I think that he is going to be the most public face of the transgender community… For America, and for the world it will shed light on a community I don’t think they are all that familiar with and don’t really know that much about.” Chaz’s book could help a lot of us understand what it’s like to be trapped in a gender that doesn’t match our identity and how difficult it must be to come to terms with that and live authentically. There were stories in July that Chaz was considering some kind of reality show chronicling his transition and given all the pitfalls of that genre I’m glad we haven’t heard much more about that. This book could be a best seller for sure, and could go a long way toward helping people understand what it’s like to be transgendered. I only wonder why Chaz didn’t get a seven figure advance given the interest this book is sure to generate.

Chaz Bono is shown out getting subway on 9/17/09. Eat Fresh, Chaz! Credit: O’Duran/Fame Pictures

Video has f-bombs and is NSFW

Roseanne Barr has released a short video on her website making fun of Cher and her transgender son, Chaz, using actors dressed up like the two and affecting their mannerisms. It’s set to look like a sitcom complete with an awful laugh track and is called “Cher and Chaz,” episode 1. The jokes are lame and the bit gets old after about a minute. I might find some of this video offensive if I could muster up the interest to care.

Intro song:
Ones in sequins, the others in jeans
One hangs with dykes, the other with queens
One munches beava, the others a diva,
Here comes Cher and Chaz

If you want to watch the video, be forewarned that it’s 3 and a half minutes of jokes that try to be obnoxious and controversial and mostly fall flat – which is pretty much an apt description of Roseanne’s career lately.

In case this video doesn’t bring her enough attention, Roseanne is continuing her verbal smack down of Jon Voight, which brought her some minor headlines last year. She writes on her blog that Voight is “attacking the leader of our country, our first elected President in eight years! I am a Jew, and I do not support Jon Voight, the whitest man on earth when he blabs on about Israel. You honky peckerwood, shut your stupid bill kristol directed mouth!” There’s more, but you can read it yourself if you’re interested. Voight voiced his support of Israel last summer so that’s not new. He was a guest on Sean Hannity’s conservative talk show on August 9, and some of his statements against the health care plan must have predictably pissed her off. Voight is staunchly conservative and Roseanne has called him out in personal attacks in the past.

Last year, Roseanne wrote “those who inhabit the media world of glamour and entertainment and fashion and gossip are horrid people who have no talent of any kind.” It takes one to know one I guess, and it’s hard to see what kind of talent is involved in mocking Cher and Chaz. The part about Cher’s gothic interior design sense is mildly funny, I guess.

We were last treated to news about Roseanne when she posed as Hitler with “burnt Jew cookies” for a photoshoot.

Chaz Bono, the once daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono, is transitioning from female to male and has chosen to go public with his decision. Gay and transgender rights advocates say that Chaz is about to become the most famous famous of the transgender community in the US. Chaz is engaged to his longterm girlfriend, Jennifer Elia, and the two are said to be planning for a baby. Chaz and Jennifer are looking for a sperm donor to help them start a family, and grandmother-in-training Cher, 63, is reportedly trying to get them to chose someone they know instead of using an anonymous donor. She’s even compiled a file of prospects. (I am trying so hard not to make a David Crosby joke, but I just couldn’t let this pass without at least mentioning him.)

Cher is looking for a baby daddy for her daughter-turned-son Chaz! That’s the latest twist in the unconventional world of the 63 year-old music legend and Chaz, formerly named Chastity. Chaz is having a sex change from female to male, and hopes to marry his female live-in lover and start a family.

The couple needs a sperm donor – and Cher is being supportive by helping them find the right man, says a family friend.

“After Chaz told his mother about getting married and planning for a baby, Cher offered to help,” a longtime family friend told The Enquirer.

Chaz intends to marry fiancee Jennifer Elia by the end of the year.

As the Enquirer has reported, 40-year-old Chaz is having stomach stapling surgery to knock off 75 pounds before the gender reassignment is completed.

Meanwhile, Cher has thrown herself into the donor screening process.

“Cher doesn’t care if the baby is a boy or a girl,” the source said. “But she’s insisting on a donor with intelligence, creativity and good looks.

“At first Chaz and Jennifer wanted an anonymous donor. They both thought it would be better not to know who the father was. But now they are open to someone they know.

“So Cher is putting together a file of prospects, and as you can imagine, they’re all handsome and brilliant. Chaz and Jen are sticking to strict criteria, but ultimately, all three of them want a healthy baby.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 24, 2009]

The article doesn’t outright state it, but it’s assumed that Jennifer will carry the baby. Congratulations to Chaz and Jennifer if this is true, and it sounds kind of sweet that Cher is taking over to find the right guy to be the biological father. I bet she’s hoping to plan their wedding too!

Chaz and Jennifer look so happy in photos and as JayBird once wrote, I also get the vibe that Chaz is a good person who is just trying to live authentically. By just being himself, he’s educating so many of us on what it means to be a transgender person.

Chaz is shown with Jennifer Elia at Outfest on 7/9/09. Credit: WENN.com

When he first announced that he was going to transition to a man, Chaz Bono said he would not be making any more public statements during the process. And while he’s generally kept mum, Chaz is still making public appearances here and there. This is great for the LGBT community because it shows Chaz out and about and living his life happily. However I’d think it could feel uncomfortable at times just knowing how closely people are scrutinizing his body. You know that certain kind of discomfort you feel when you know someone is looking at you extra closely? I imagine it could feel that way to Chaz too.

It seems like media outlets are getting better (though not perfect) at being respectful in their coverage of Chaz, and are also more aware of using the proper terminology. Last night he and his girlfriend Jennifer Elia walked the red carpet at Outfest, and seemed really happy together.

The famously private Chaz Bono – who recently shocked Hollywood by confirming she’s [sic] undergoing a sex change operation to become a man– walked proud as a peacock with girlfriend Jennifer Elia on the red carpet in Los Angeles Thursday night at Outfest, the country’s largest festival of gay/lesbian/transgender-themed films.

The son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, who lives in West Hollywood with the beautiful brunette Elia, was dressed dapper in a black button-up shirt and blue jeans.

Chaz, a political and social activist, began undergoing a sex change shortly after her [sic] 40th birthday on March 4. It’s not known how long the process will take for Chaz to officially become a man.

“I am excited for Chaz that he will now be able to live life the way he wants to and in a body that is more comfortable for him,” Kristen Schaffer, Outfest’s executive director, told RadarOnline.com last month. “Chaz’s ‘coming out’ as transgender is wonderful for the LGBT community as it not only increases transgender visibility, but also shows that we should never compromise our own identity.”

Outfest runs until July 19 in Los Angeles.

[From Radar]

I can’t explain why but I always get such a good vibe from this pair. Chaz has always been private, especially for having such public parents. He’s been active in gay causes since he publicly came out of the closet, but has still managed to live his life as a regular person. He strikes me as someone you could strike up a conversation with on the way home from work just like anyone else. He’ll certainly be getting some extra attention over the next few years, but if anyone knows how to handle it gracefully, it’s him.

Here are Chaz and Jennifer with Outfest Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer at the gala yesterday and earlier that same day. Images thanks to WENN.com and Fame Pictures .

Cher’s daughter Chaz Bono, formerly Chastity, is transitioning from a woman to a man with the support of his longterm female partner. Cher issued a statement two weeks ago saying that while she might not understand Chaz’s decision, she will support him fully. She worded it better than I can recap, saying in part, “although I may not understand, I will strive to be understanding. The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child.” Cher never referred to Chaz by a gender-related pronoun in her statement, which seemed like the right way to address the situation when, as a mom, she was still trying to make sense of it.

Producers have approached Chaz about creating a reality show documenting his sex change, and he’s seriously considering it, according to the National Enquirer. Cher is trying to talk him out of it doing a reality show centered on his gender reassignment, as she values her family’s privacy. Chaz has experience with reality television and appeared on Celebrity Fit Club 3 in 2006, losing 23 pounds. He has gained the weight back, and The Enquirer also claims that he’s going to have lap band surgery to lose weight ahead of his planned wedding.

Cher is adamant about not wanting to get dragged into the crazy world of reality TV.

Now known as “Chaz,” the 40-year-old daughter of Cher and music legend Sonny Bono recently announced she [sic] was undergoing the gender reassignment. She wants to do it before marrying longtime partner Jennifer Elia.

“Talk about must-see TV!” declared the friend. “Chaz has been fielding offers from reality show producers who want to show her [sic] sex change on camera.

“After appearing on ‘Celebrity Fit Club’ a few years ago, Chaz learned the ropes of reality TV.

“But Cher was shocked that Chaz even considered documenting her life – let alone her sex change on camer. Cher treasures her privacy…

“As a gay activist, Chaz is adamant about recording her sexual identity struggles and her transition from female to male,” said her friend. “Her concern is that it be done tastefully. If she does it at all, she wants a documentary style format, and for it to be educational.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, July 13, 2009]

Cher is right – Chaz should stay far away from reality TV if the goal is to make it educational. Reality shows take on a life of their own and create drama and a story arc when it’s not necessarily there. People’s lives then start to resemble the roles they’re shoe-horned into and it’s hard to separate reality from fiction. Chaz is getting married soon – they don’t need the added stress on their relationship of a reality show.

Chaz could possibly work with documentary filmmakers who are aware and sensitive about transgender issues and create a special to air on cable. An average reality show producer will not do his story justice. HBO might be the place to air Chaz’s story. A few years ago I saw a very moving documentary on HBO about a dying transgender man called Southern Comfort. There’s also another documentary that aired in 2005 on HBO called Middlesexes that was relatively well received.

Corey Scholibo, the entertainment editor of The Advocate, told Good Morning America that Chaz’s high profile status makes him a de facto representative for his community. “I think that he is going to be the most public face of the transgender community…

For America, and for the world it will shed light on a community I don’t think they are all that familiar with and don’t really know that much about.”

Maybe a reality show could help too, but it would have to be done by people who thoroughly understand transgender issues and don’t just try and exploit the situation for ratings.

Here’s a link to a segment on Good Morning America on Chaz’s gender reassignment process. He is not interviewed but it’s a good look into why people are fascinated with this story.

Chaz is shown supposedly test driving a new Mustang on 7/1, but then he hugged the guy he was with, suggesting it was a friend, not a salesman. Credit: Coqueran/Fame Pictures

Cher has given her public support to her daughter Chastity, as Chastity makes the transition from female to male, from Chastity to Chaz. Cher gave her statement to US Weekly, saying that supports Chaz’s courage, and she also says “although I may not understand, I will strive to be understanding.” Which I think means that Cher was maybe caught off-guard with Chaz’s announcement? Or was it something Chaz had told his mother beforehand? Cher also says, “The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child.” Which is awesome. I hope this is the signal for a new era in understanding the transgendered, and I hope that Cher will give more public statements about how she’s dealing with this as a mother:

Cher is speaking out for the first time about daughter Chastity transitioning from female to male as Chaz Bono.

“Chaz is embarking on a difficult journey, but one that I will support,” Cher tells Usmagazine.com in a statement. “I respect 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. The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child.”

Last week, Us reported that Bono began undergoing a sex change after turning 40 on March 4. A rep would not offer details on the procedure (gender reassignment typically involves surgery and hormone therapy).

“Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity,” the Bono spokesperson said.

“He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones,” the rep continued. “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.”

[From US Weekly]

Though some disagree, I really think that in the long run, we’ll find that we are born gay, straight, transgendered, and everything in between. It’s how we were made – and if someone feels like a man caught in a woman’s body, or vice versa, so be it. It’s like hating someone for their eye color.

In other Chaz Bono news, Radar reported a few days ago that Chaz and longtime girlfriend Jennifer Elia are engaged. According to Radar’s jewelry store source, Chaz once bought Jennifer an engagement ring – but it was a few years ago, so it may just be a nice ring, not an engagement ring. Apparently, Jennifer adores the simple solitaire diamond, and wears it all the time. They also report that Jennifer is “the light of Chaz’s life” and that Cher adores Jennifer. I know there are probably rough spots with having Cher as a mother, but in general, Cher seems like she’s a great mom to have around.

Absolutely every website has been vying for the first pictures of Chaz (formerly Chastity) Bono since he revealed his decision to transition from a woman to a man last week. TMZ finally chased him down with an absolutely exhilarating 30 second clip in which he exits a car. That’s about it. They’ve been unnecessarily catty in their reporting on the story – even for TMZ. Radar noted that Chaz has been taking hormones for about two months now but still looks about the same.

Chastity Bono, now known as Chaz, has begun hormone treatments as the first step in her [sic] preparation to have sex-change surgery and now RadarOnline.com has obtained the first photo of Chaz since the transformation began.

Chaz began taking the hormones within the past two months, a source tells RadarOnline.com. The exclusive photo taken June 10 shows Chaz’s looks have not changed much. She is still battling her weight, which could be an issue before surgery.

Friends have told RadarOnline.com that Chaz has wanted the surgery for a long time, but telling her famous mother Cher was something that scared her.

Cher has not made any public comment since Chaz’s announcement.

[From Radar]

His voice sounds about the same to me in TMZ’s video. I’m not sure how long it takes for the hormones to change some of the more obviously female characteristics – it probably varies from person to person. Several people pointed out in our first article that the surgical aspect of female-to-male transitioning tends to involve removing the breasts but few changes to the vagina because it still isn’t really possible to create much in terms of a penis. Some things can be done, but it’s much easier to do a male-to-female transition of the genitals than the other way around.

Obviously Chaz isn’t checking in with TMZ and Radar to keep them appraised of his every decision and step along the way. And that must really grate on their nerves. Can you imagine where Radar would be without 24/7 Octo-access? The only place they have yet to film her is in bed, and I’m sure that’s coming. TMZ doesn’t seem to make deals like Radar does, they just prefer to follow people around parking lots. I hope they give Chaz and his girlfriend some space. There’s a lot of public interest in this story because it’s an unusual situation, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be respectful.

Here’s Chaz Bono’s girlfriend Jennifer Elia, “barefoot and anxiously talking on the phone as Chastity waits for her in the car” on June 13th. Images thanks to Fame Pictures . Chaz and Jennifer are shown at Elton John’s 62nd birthday at Hamburger Hamlet in L.A. on March 27th. Images thanks to Pacific Coast News.

Chastity Bono, Sonny and Cher’s famously lesbian daughter, has decided to begin the process of living her life as a man, according to her representative. Chastity, who will now go by Chaz, began the process around his 40th birthday. Neither TMZ or Chaz’s representative specifies exactly what this means for him: if he’ll dress, live, and identify as a male, if he’ll take hormones, or if he’ll eventually have a sex change operation. Most doctors require a person live as their desired gender for a certain period of time before they’ll perform sexual reassignment surgery, so that’s often an initial step in the process.

Chastity Bono, civil rights advocate, journalist, author and musician, is in the early stages of changing his gender — transitioning from female to male, TMZ has learned.

Bono, the child of legendary entertainers Sonny and Cher, began the process earlier this year, shortly after his 40th birthday.

“Yes, it’s true — Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity,” confirmed Bono’s publicist, Howard Bragman.

“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.”

[From TMZ]

While they use both the terms “identity” and “gender” the statement seems to be implying that Chaz is going to eventually have a reassignment surgery. Since he’s not going to be speaking about it for now, I guess we’ll have to wait and see exactly what “transitioning from female to male” means to Chaz.

One summer when I was in college I worked in a dorm that functioned as a hotel in the summers. We hosted a lot of visiting conferences, and before a LGTQ came we attended several discussions with a group of transsexual and transgendered individuals. All of them told their stories about the first time they passed as their desired gender, which was a really powerful moment for them. One woman said she’d accidentally cut off a guy while driving. Furious, he stuck his head out his window and screamed “‘You dumb bitch!’” with more anger than she’d ever heard. But as she put it, “I was so excited that he called me a bitch that I yelled back ‘Thank you!’ grinning ear-to-ear.”

Everyone described transitioning to their desired gender as finally living their lives in a way that felt authentic; like they were finally happy and being honest with themselves. Supposedly it’s an incredibly powerful and challenging time. It seems like Chaz has a lot of supportive people around him – and while the next several years will have lots of challenges most of us never face, it’ll probably be the best time of his life.