American writer, musician and actor
Chaz Salvatore Bono
[1]
(born
Chastity Sun Bono
; March 4, 1969) is an American writer, musician and actor. His parents are entertainers
Sonny Bono
and
Cher
, and he became widely known in appearances as a child on their television show,
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
.
[2]
[3]
Bono is out as a
trans man
. In 1995, while then presenting as a woman, and several years after being
outed
as lesbian by the tabloid press, Bono publicly self-identified as a lesbian in a cover story in a leading American gay monthly magazine,
The Advocate
. Bono eventually went on to discuss the process of
coming out
to oneself and others in two books.
Family Outing: A Guide to the Coming Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Families
(1998) includes his coming-out account. The memoir
The End of Innocence
(2003) discusses his outing, music career, and partner Joan's death from
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
.
[4]
Between 2008 and 2010, Bono sought out gender-affirming care, commonly called
gender transition
. A two-part
Entertainment Tonight
feature in June 2009 explained that his medical transition had started a year before.
[5]
In May 2010, he legally changed his ID to match his gender and name.
[6]
A documentary on Bono's experience,
Becoming Chaz
, was screened at the 2011
Sundance Film Festival
and later made its television debut on the
Oprah Winfrey Network
.
[7]
[8]
Early life
Bono was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of
Cher
and
Sonny Bono
of the pop duo
Sonny & Cher
, stars of a TV variety show on which the young child often appeared. Bono was named after the film
Chastity
, which was produced by Sonny and in which Cher (in her first solo role in a feature film) played a
bisexual
woman.
[9]
Through his mother, Bono is of
Armenian
, Irish, English, and German ancestry. He is of Italian descent through his father.
[10]
[11]
Bono was enrolled at the
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
in New York City.
[12]
Bono came out to both parents as a lesbian at age 18. In
Family Outing
, Bono wrote that, "as a child, I always felt there was something different about me. I'd look at other girls my age and feel perplexed by their obvious interest in the latest fashion, which boy in class was the cutest, and who looked the most like cover girl
Christie Brinkley
. When I was 13, I finally found a name for exactly how I was different. I realized I was gay."
[13]
Ceremony
Bono began a short music career in 1988 with the band Ceremony,
[4]
which released one album,
Hang Out Your Poetry
, in 1993. The band featured Bono on vocals,
acoustic guitar
, and percussion. Other members were
Steve March Torme
(backup vocals), Heidi Shink a.k.a. Chance,
Pete McRae
, Steve Bauman, Louis Ruiz, and Bryn Mathieu. All but one of the band's songs were written or co-written by Bono, Shink, and
Mark Hudson
. They used no synthesizers or digital effects on the album; Shink noted, "We turned our back on technology. [ ... ] It's reminiscent of the 60s, but more a tip of the hat than emulating it. We took the music we love and rejuvenated it, made it 90s."
[14]
Critical reception of the album was lukewarm, with Roch Parisien of Allmusic describing
Hang Out Your Poetry
as a mildly psychedelic take on early 1990s pop, "pleasant, accessible, well-produced ear-candy that's ultimately toothless".
[15]
The songs "Could've Been Love" and "Ready for Love" were released as singles from the album. Sonny and Cher also recorded backing vocals for the track "Livin' It Up" on the album.
LGBT activism
In April 1995, Bono came out as a
lesbian
in an interview with
The Advocate
, a national gay and lesbian magazine.
[16]
The 1998 book
Family Outing
detailed how Bono's coming out "catapulted me into a political role that has transformed my life, providing me with affirmation as a lesbian, as a woman, and as an individual."
[17]
In the same book, Bono reported that Cher, who was both a gay icon and an ally of
LGBT
communities, was quite uncomfortable with the news at first and "went ballistic"
[18]
before coming to terms with it: "By August 1996, one year after I came out publicly, my mother had progressed so far that she agreed to 'come out' herself on the cover of
The Advocate
as the proud mother of a lesbian daughter."
[17]
Cher has since become an outspoken
LGBT rights
activist.
Bono's paternal relationship became strained after his father became a
Republican
Congressman
from California. The differences in their political views separated them, and the two had not spoken for more than a year at the time of Sonny's fatal skiing accident in January 1998.
[16]
Bono worked as a writer at large for
The Advocate
.
[4]
As a social activist, Bono became a spokesperson for the
Human Rights Campaign
, promoted
National Coming Out Day
, campaigned for the reelection of
Bill Clinton
for US president, campaigned against the
Defense of Marriage Act
, and served as Entertainment Media Director for the
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD).
[4]
Bono was a team captain for
Celebrity Fit Club 3
(2006) and was supported by girlfriend Jennifer Elia, who orchestrated exercise and training sessions.
[5]
In June 2016, the
Human Rights Campaign
released a video in tribute to the victims of the
Orlando nightclub shooting
; in the video, Bono and others told the stories of the people killed there.
[19]
[20]
Transition
In mid-2008, Bono began undergoing a physical and social
transition
from
female to male
. This was confirmed in June 2009 by his publicist,
[5]
who identified Bono's name as
Chaz Bono
and said, "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."
[21]
GLAAD
and the
Empowering Spirits Foundation
were quick to offer praise and support for the announcement.
[22]
Bono's legal transition was completed on May 6, 2010, when a California court granted his request for a gender and name change.
[6]
[23]
Bono made
Becoming Chaz
, a documentary film about his transition that premiered at the 2011
Sundance Film Festival
. The
Oprah Winfrey Network
acquired the rights to the documentary and debuted it on May 10, 2011.
[24]
In September 2011, he became a competitor on the
13th season
of the U.S. version of
Dancing with the Stars
, paired with professional ballroom dancer
Lacey Schwimmer
.
[25]
The duo was eliminated on October 25, 2011.
[26]
This was the first time an openly transgender man starred on a major network television show for something unrelated to being transgender.
[27]
His book,
Transition: Becoming Who I Was Always Meant to Be
was published in 2012, making him the first person of Armenian descent to publish a memoir about being an openly transgender man.
[28]
Filmography
Film
Television
Bibliography
Notes
References
- ^
"Cher's son now officially a man"
.
BBC News
. May 7, 2010.
Archived
from the original on August 31, 2017
. Retrieved
November 14,
2011
.
- ^
"Chastity Bono Undergoing Gender Change"
.
TV Guide
. June 11, 2009.
Archived
from the original on October 29, 2011
. Retrieved
June 11,
2009
.
- ^
"Chastity Bono is Chaz Bono"
. Right Celebrity. June 11, 2009. Archived from
the original
on June 15, 2009
. Retrieved
June 11,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Marcus, Lydia (March 21, 2006).
"Interview with Chastity Bono"
. AfterEllen. Archived from
the original
on December 21, 2007
. Retrieved
February 19,
2007
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Chaz Bono", June 15?16, 2009,
Entertainment Tonight
.
- ^
a
b
"Chaz Bono granted gender and name change"
.
Fox News Channel
. May 6, 2010. Archived from
the original
on January 6, 2015.
- ^
"Chaz Bono Documentary To Debut on OWN | Access Hollywood ? Celebrity News, Photos & Videos"
. Access Hollywood.
Archived
from the original on November 14, 2011
. Retrieved
November 14,
2011
.
- ^
"Chaz Bono Documentary,
Becoming Chaz
, to Have World Television Premiere on OWN"
.
Oprah.com
.
Archived
from the original on July 27, 2020
. Retrieved
April 30,
2020
.
- ^
Bryant, Wayne, M. (1996).
Bisexual Characters in Film, from Anais to Zee.
Haworth Press. p. 117.
ISBN
978-0-7890-0142-9
- ^
Bego 2001
, p. 11: Sarkisian's profession;
Berman 2001
, p. 17: Sarkisian's nationality and personal problems, Crouch's profession;
Cheever 1993
: Crouch's ancestry.
- ^
"Sonny Bono Biography"
. Yahoo! Movies. Archived from
the original
on February 17, 2010
. Retrieved
January 1,
2024
.
- ^
"Jennifer Aniston & Chaz Bono in High School Together (PHOTO)"
. September 15, 2011.
Archived
from the original on April 2, 2021
. Retrieved
October 10,
2020
.
- ^
Bono, Chaz (as Chastity); Fitzpatrick, Billy (1998).
Family Outing
. New York: Little, Brown. p. vii.
ISBN
0-316-10233-4
.
- ^
Krbechek, Randy (December 22, 1993).
"Reviews of Ceremony | Hang Out Your Poetry, The Dead Milkmen | Not Richard, But Dick, and Al Stewart concert"
.
PSNW
. Archived from
the original
on June 16, 2009
. Retrieved
March 12,
2018
.
- ^
Roch Parisien.
"Hang Out Your Poetry"
.
AllMusic
.
Archived
from the original on October 16, 2015
. Retrieved
April 27,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
Freydkin, Donna (October 14, 1998).
"Chastity Bono opens up about coming out"
.
CNN
.
Archived
from the original on March 20, 2007
. Retrieved
February 20,
2007
.
- ^
a
b
Bono, Chaz (as Chastity); Fitzpatrick, Billy (1998).
Family Outing
. New York: Little, Brown. p. viii.
ISBN
0-316-10233-4
.
- ^
Bono, Chaz (as Chastity); Fitzpatrick, Billy (1998).
Family Outing
. New York: Little, Brown. p.
207
.
ISBN
0-316-10233-4
.
- ^
"49 Celebrities Honor 49 Victims of Orlando Tragedy | Human Rights Campaign"
. Hrc.org. Archived from
the original
on August 23, 2016
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
Rothaus, Steve (June 12, 2016).
"Pulse Orlando shooting scene a popular LGBT club where employees, patrons 'like family'
"
.
The Miami Herald
.
Archived
from the original on June 15, 2016
. Retrieved
June 15,
2016
.
- ^
"Chastity Bono Undergoing Gender Change"
.
TV Guide
. June 11, 2009.
Archived
from the original on March 21, 2017
. Retrieved
January 8,
2017
.
- ^
"ESF Applauds Chastity Bono's Gender Transition Announcement"
(PDF)
. Empowering Spirits Foundation Press Release. June 11, 2009. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on June 16, 2009
. Retrieved
June 11,
2009
.
- ^
"Chaz Bono, Cher's child, becomes a man after Southern Californian judges grants gender change"
.
Herald Sun
. May 7, 2010.
Archived
from the original on June 14, 2011
. Retrieved
May 7,
2010
.
- ^
Byrge, Duane (January 24, 2011).
"SUNDANCE REVIEW: 'Becoming Chaz' Is a Powerful Study in Personal Courage"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on October 1, 2019
. Retrieved
May 20,
2019
.
- ^
"BBC News ? Cher berates 'bigots' attack on son's role in TV show"
.
BBC
. September 2, 2011.
Archived
from the original on November 24, 2011
. Retrieved
November 14,
2011
.
- ^
Corneau, Allison (October 26, 2011).
"Dancing With the Stars: Chaz Bono Sent Home"
.
Us
.
Archived
from the original on October 28, 2011
. Retrieved
November 27,
2011
.
- ^
"14 Reasons That Made 2011 Great for Trans People"
. Advocate.com. December 28, 2011.
Archived
from the original on October 7, 2013
. Retrieved
October 5,
2013
.
- ^
"Transition by Chaz Bono"
. The Queer Armenian Library. September 28, 2020
. Retrieved
January 1,
2024
.
- ^
Rezsnyak, Eric.
"
"RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 6, Episode 9: Talk Show, Balk Show"
.
CITY News
.
Archived
from the original on February 5, 2021
. Retrieved
January 27,
2021
.
- ^
"Chaz Bono and Damiana on the RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 Finale Red Carpet"
.
The WOW Report
. May 23, 2014.
Archived
from the original on February 1, 2021
. Retrieved
January 27,
2021
.
Works cited
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