Standing On The Side Of My Man, Chaz Bono!

The first time I saw Chaz Bono she went by the name Chastity and I was moving into her mother, Cher's, house in New York's Greenwich Village as her mother was moving out. Chas (as she was known as then) had long blonde hair, was in a band and looked like a pretty young woman.

When Chastity began her transition (which by the way is the title of his book) from female to male and became known as Chaz, my first thought was "Good for her..er, him. Whatever makes him happy" and I didn't think anything more of it. It also didn't turn my head when I heard Chaz was going to be on Dancing With the Stars, partnering with a female.

To each their own. But what did get my attention was reports of public outcries for boycotts of Dancing With The Stars, protests and hate mail being slammed at both ABC and Chaz himself.

This, I thought to myself, is sadly what America, in many ways, still is... A far cry from my own insular reality of progressive friends, co-workers and neighborhood big city folk who have seen it all, embrace change and stand as beacons for tolerance.

Only a few months ago, New York City, the biggest melting pot in the world, passed the same sex marriage bill which was a long time coming. And we have many more states to go before we can call America a gay friendly country.

When you throw in the transgender lifestyle and all that it implies, many people still view that as a choice (and a sinful one at that).

Personally, I cannot imagine anyone waking up one morning and saying to themselves "Hey! Today I think it would be cool to book an appointment to have my breasts removed and take hormone shots to grow a beard!" just because they are bored.

So, when I heard about the call for parents to NOT allow their children to watch Chaz compete as a man with a female partner on Dancing With The Stars, I felt compelled to throw my public support to Chaz Bono and ALL transgendered people.

Photos

Chaz Bono Leaving "Dancing With The Stars" Rehearsal (PHOTOS)