Chastity Bono is the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono. She grew up in a very artistic setting in New York City, being the high school classmate of my favorite Greek Goddess Jennifer Aniston, among other things.
Today, Bono has issued a public statement, saying that she is a he, and he is a transman going through the early stages of gender transition.
One side of me - the hardcore lesbian side - is quite bummed. Chastity was a great lesbian power icon, and it's never easy losing a lesbian icon. On the other hand, Bono's future activism as a transman, bringing up the profile of great transpeople even further, will more than make up for the loss of him as a lesbian power icon. I also want to remember that some of the best men out there are transmen - while they went through the female socialization against their will, the more cooperative, holistic nature of female bonding makes them more empathetic, therefore better men.
Chastity Bono joins the ranks of other high-profile transgender transitions, the most famous being Alexis Arquette of the Arquette family. Best wishes to them all - and I hope Perfect Girl, once complete and published, can be part of the process in sharing the trans experience with a wider audience.
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