Chaz Bono: Gender Is Between Your Ears, Not Between Your Legs

By PopEater Staff Posted Nov 19th 2009 10:05AM

For the first time, Chaz Bono, born to Cher and the late Sonny Bono as Chastity, opened up about his new life as a man, in an exclusive interview with 'Good Morning America.' "This was a very difficult decision to make, but it is the best decision I've ever made. I'm happier. I'm more confident. I feel great," he said.

"It would be easy to say, 'Why did I wait so long to do this?' but I am a person who believes things will happen when they're suppose to happen. I was ready when I was ready. Life is just great now," he said.

Bono, who has served as a LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) civil rights advocate, began the gender-changing process earlier this year, following his 40th birthday. His publicist announced Bono's decision to undergo gender reassignment in June. He is currently living with his girlfriend Jennifer.

Bono has undergone breast removal surgery and began taking hormones to alter his appearance. "It was just a long process of being comfortable enough to do something about it. I was turning 40, and I thought it's now or never," he said.

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Chaz Bono Photos

Chaz Bono speaks during the Transgender Law Center 7th anniversary event in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. More photos >>

Chaz Bono Snapshots

Gay rights activist Chaz Bono speaks during the Transgender Law Center 7th anniversary event in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Gay rights activist Chaz Bono gives a thumbs up after speaking during the Transgender Law Center 7th anniversary event in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Chaz Bono arrives to the 2009 Outfest Opening Night Gala: "LA Mission" held at The Orpheum Theatre on July 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. 2009 Outfest Opening Night Gala of "LA Mission" The Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA United States July 9, 2009 Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic.com To license this image (57875295), contact FilmMagic.com

Michael Tran/FilmMagic.com

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 09: Chaz Bono arrives to the 2009 Outfest opening night gala of 'La Mission' held at The Orpheum Theatre on July 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chaz Bono

Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 09: Jennifer Elia and Chaz Bono arrive to the 2009 Outfest opening night gala of 'La Mission' held at The Orpheum Theatre on July 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chaz Bono;Jennifer Elia

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©BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM Chaz (formerly Chastity) Bono is spotted out running errands in West Hollywood. EXCLUSIVE June 23, 2009 Job: 90623W14 Los Angeles, California www.bauergriffin.com www.bauergriffinonline.com

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"Gender is between your ears and not between your legs. I've felt male for as far back as I can remember," he said. "As I child, I felt like a boy. My friends were boys and in school, I related to boys. If a game broke out [with] girls against the boys, I was always with the boys."

But as Bono hit puberty, there were obstacles to overcome pressures from society to conform. "As you get older, it gets more confusing. Suddenly there is more pressure to fit into your assigned identity... At 13 or 14, it was real clear I was attracted to women," stating that he tried to take the easy way out and assumed he must be a lesbian.

Bono knew it went much deeper than that though. "I've only been on hormone therapy for about eight months now... I feel so much more comfortable than I've ever been, but [there's] more to come," he said. "The first hurtle was that I wouldn't be able to do this privately like most people can. Then, it was about dealing with the people in my life and how it was going to affect them... I have to live my life for myself and life is too short and precious. This is who I am, and I need to finally be who I am."

At this point, Bono admits nothing really scares him anymore about the transformation. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I needed to work through the things that scared me in order to start this journey. At this point, nothing scares me. I'm living the life that I've always wanted to live now and that's amazing."

While Bono never sought to be a public figure of the LGBT community, he is taking it in stride. "I'm not looking at it as campaigning. I struggled a lot getting here. If by being public about [my transformation], other people can see this and not have to struggle quite as much as I did, than I'm really happy to do that."

"If I can help make things easier, legislation wise, I'm happy to do that as well. I've been an activist in the LGBT community for a long time, and I don't think that really anything as changed. I'm just more focused on the T now than I was with the L and the G," he laughed.

Tags: chaz bono, ChazBono, Cher, good morning america, GoodMorningAmerica

Comments

(228)

Thursday 19 November

By Coco

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If gender is between your ears and not between your legs........why have the surgery? Hmmmmmmm?

By melanie

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Exactly! Besides that, this freak will be dead in a few years from a heart attack. I guess she thinks trying to be a man means you don't have to watch your weight. And yes, I said she, because that is what God made her and try as she may, will never truely be a man.

By chris

All I have to say is that he needs to lose some weight!

Sunday 22 November

By Bonnie

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she or he needs to loose weight bad. or die from a heart attack

By fred

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

between your ears? this is your brain on drugs

By LadyWiccan

it would be fine if people would accept that, but they don't. If you are born a female and feel like a man most of sociatty will not accept you same way with a man.

By Simzee

Perhaps Chaz does NOT understand that "he" will ALWAYS be a female on the inside.

By X

Because sex is between the legs and gender is a social construct. I wish people would use the terms right, its very simple. You can NOT have gender reassigment surgery, its sex reassignment surgery. Even our 5 year old knows the difference.

By harperbharp

WTF. Just said God made a mistake. Maybe he did in making this person in the first place. God didn't do it Satan got in. Gotta be. What a strange world we live in.

By maryann

Because society is big time into appearances.
Forget your personal truth that you found, all
must fit into the Gender Binary.

By Marty

Amen to that one! This "guy" makes me sick just to look at. This is a nut case if I've ever heard of one. You're right - if gender isn't between the legs then WHY the sex change? Good question about the girlfriend? Is she now heterosexual?

By tt

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just be happy for him and let him live his life....do any of you really care about him anyway??? lol

By Hacker427

First off, the saying is right. Gender is a concept, something that exists in the mind as the roles we assume in society, while sex is the physical body parts we have. I don't really care to argue whether it's right or not to get a sex change but what's wrong with you all to where you have to be so hateful about the subject? Would you say these kind of things to the persons face? What if someone in your family decided to do this, would you suddenly be against them? Everyone's different in some way or another, we don't have to agree with them being different but that doesn't mean we have to talk about them like they're dirt every chance we get. Here in America we have a lot of rights, but our rights end where other's rights begin. Everyone has the right to the pursuit of hapinness and if that's what makes this individual happy then I say go for it, but now I have to ask, does it make you happy to say such bad things about them?

By johnjfoote

OK Chaz if gender is between your ears and not your legs why the operation? You should be happy for what God gave you.

By quinana2001

I agree, be thankful what you were given at birth, God doesn't make mistakes- often times we're the ones that are confused. Speaking of confusion- does this mean "his" girlfriend is straight now that "she" is a "he". How does that work? If a gay person has a sex "re-assignment" doesn't that make their partner a heterosexual? Isn't that what God intented in the first place!!

By J

They get the surgery to match their outside with their inside. Please educate yourself on the subject instead of making your self look like an ignorant person.

By Marselli

Tell me, why does this have to involve God? And also, the vile, nasty words that some of you are spitting, I doubt that God would be proud such a thing.

Jonathan Swift may have said best, "We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another."

By Jane T.

If Chaz doesn't get his weight under control, he's not going to be around long to enjoy his transformation.

By kittensaustin

Couln't have said it better myself!

By thom

PEOPLE LIKE THIS DONT CARE FOR THEMSELVES- IT'S APPEARANCE SPEAKS LOUD AND CLEAR !

THAT'S WHY THEY LIVE SUCH WRECKLESS LIVES. SOME WHERE ALONG THE LINE THEY BECMA TWISTED.

ALWAYS BLAME THE PARENTS, IT STARTS AT THE TOP. JUST LIKE OUR BROKEN ECONOMY.......

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