Chaz Bono Leaves Dancing With The Stars Rehearsal
TRANS DANCING WITH THE STARS :: Chaz Bono is Dancing with the Stars and I say good for him. Not that I watch the show. From the little bits I’ve gleaned from social media it looks like a potentially embarrassing exercise that I would avoid like the plague. But I am so glad Chaz is on the show.
Last week I was contacted by a local radio show and asked to go on air to talk about Chaz Bono on Dancing With the Stars and the controversy that has developed. At first I was surprised to be asked. Surprised that a few American transphobic looney tunes warranted discussion on a Vancouver radio show. But the more I thought about it the more it made perfect sense, and important media commentary.
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I remember Chaz’s earliest TV appearances, a bashful blonde baby girl on her proud parents’ program, The Sonny and Cher Show. As the child of two celebrity parents young Chastity could never hope to grow up in private. When Chaz came out about his transition he focused the resulting media spotlight toward a common good, that of raised awareness, education and greater understanding.
Transgender people are among the last to succeed in the struggle for full civil rights. Here in Canada lesbians and gays have achieved full legal equality. We must remain vigilant to protect our rights and ensure that the whims of politicians and the winds of social mood don’t infringe on our enjoyment of those rights but our Supreme Court decreed that sexual orientation is to be ‘read into’ the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No such decree protects trans people. Bill Siksay introduced a private members bill (Bill C389) in 2010 which would have amended the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code to include gender identity and gender expression. But the bill died on the order paper when a federal election was called in 2011.
Whenever I speak on trans issues it is clear that the greatest enemy of understanding is lack of familiarity. When people think that they don’t know any trans people they lack a frame of reference, ignorance overcomes curiosity and fear prevents understanding. But when we know someone who is trans, when we see them within an understandable context, it is much harder to hold hard lines. The concept becomes a reality. The foreign becomes familiar. For those people who do not have trans people within their social networks (or are not aware that they do) the appearance of Chaz Bono on Dancing With the Stars, hearing him speak about his reality, brings the unfamiliar into their living room. And with familiarity we can overcome fear and ignorance until we reach understanding.
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It will take Chaz Bono dancing on TV, other trans people bravely coming out in their communities, the introduction of new legislation, more political debates and all of us speaking up and against hate but I believe that we will celebrate the achievement of full legal equality for trans people in the near future.
There are people who would rather stuff Chaz – and a number of people whom I personally care about – into a deep dark closet. Chaz’s appearance on American mainstream prime time TV has the potential to break down that closet door. Let Chaz dance. Let us cheer Chaz. And let his dance steps be significant steps toward understanding, acceptance and celebration.
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