Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono
Bono in 2017
Born
Chastity Sun Bono

(1969-03-04) March 4, 1969 (age 55)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesChaz Salvatore Bono
Occupations
  • Writer
  • musician
  • actor
Years active1972–present
Parents
RelativesElijah Blue Allman (half-brother)
Georgia Holt (grandmother)

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]

  1. ^ "Cher's son now officially a man". BBC News. May 7, 2010. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  2. ^ "Chastity Bono Undergoing Gender Change". TV Guide. June 11, 2009. Archived from the original on October 29, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  3. ^ "Chastity Bono is Chaz Bono". Right Celebrity. June 11, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  4. ^ Marcus, Lydia (March 21, 2006). "Interview with Chastity Bono". AfterEllen. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2007.
  5. ^ "Chaz Bono", June 15–16, 2009, Entertainment Tonight.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference foxgenderchange was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.