Chaz Bono
- Chaz Bono (b. 1969)
- by Tina Gianoulis
- Encyclopedia Copyright © 2015, glbtq, Inc.
- {Reprinted from http://www.glbtq.com)
As the child of one of the most flamboyant couples to emerge from the 1960s rock scene, Chaz Bono grew up in the public eye, with every family spat and adolescent identity crisis a subject for Hollywood gossip columns and roving paparazzi. All this public scrutiny made the process of coming out, first as a lesbian, then as a transgender man, an even more daunting process than it would have been in a more private family situation.
In spite of the public spotlight and family resistance, Bono not only revealed the changes in his sexual and gender identity but also became a national spokesperson and glbtq rights activist. Through his own example of public honesty and his work with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Bono has attempted to increase tolerance and acceptance through education.
Early Life
The man now known as Chaz Salvatore Bono began life as Chastity Sun Bono, the daughter of rock icons Sonny and Cher. Born on March 4, 1969, Bono entered the world as his parents' career was turning from hippy folk-rock to glitzy Las Vegas-style showmanship.
He was conceived while his parents were making the film Chastity, which Sonny Bono produced and in which Cher starred. Although the film was a flop, his parents nevertheless named him for the film. Chastity was only three years old when he was first brought on stage at The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, dressed in miniature versions of his mother's glamorous costumes and waving goodnight to the audience. Even then, the tomboyish Chastity felt something wrong in the gender role he was expected to play, wishing that, if he had to dress up, he could wear suits like his father's.
Bono's childhood, like that of many queer youths, resonated with the uncomfortable conflict between parental and societal expectations and growing internal passions and pressures.
In 1987, soon after graduating from the High School for Performing Arts in New York, he came out as a lesbian to his parents. Despite the freewheeling image they cultivated in their rock music days, they were less than supportive.
Following his divorce from Cher in 1975, Sonny Bono became first a Palm Springs businessman, then Mayor, and later a conservative member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He consistently voted against the advancement of gay civil rights. Sonny died in 1998.
Cher continued her music and acting career, but, despite a large gay following, found it difficult to accept a lesbian daughter.
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