Chastity Bono Bravely Announces Gender Transition

By Meghan Chavalier

June 12, 2009

Chastity Bono child of entertainment icons Sonny and Cher has begun the transition process to become a man.

A rep for the gay rights advocate and writer confirmed Bono is undergoing the process to go from female to male.

“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.”

Stopping The Hate would like to congratulate Chaz for having the strength and courage to live his life in the gender he feels he should have born into and hope that by coming out publicly that it may help other young transgender men and women know that they are not alone in the world.