Chaz's Breast Removal Terrified Cher

By Advocate.com Editors

With his girlfriend and his stepmom, Rep. Mary Bono Mack, in attendance, Chaz Bono premiered his documentary, Becoming Chaz, at Sundance over the weekend.

Oprah snapped up the rights to air the documentary on her OWN network before its Park City, Utah, debut. The movie chronicles Chaz’s transition from female to male.

"I wanted to do this because I wanted to help people," he told E! Online. "And I knew that...I could put a face on this issue that people just don't understand because it's a hard one to understand. I wanted to be able to change people's hearts and minds on this."

In the film, Chaz is shown having his breast-removal surgery — and Cher admits she was “terrified” to see her son after the procedure. Cher also says in the film she thinks her Chaz’s father, Sonny Bono, would have supported their son’s transition.

For more on the documentary, click here, and click here for more pics of Chaz and his girlfriend, Jennifer Elia.

source

Oprah picks up “Becoming Chaz”

Great news for Chaz Bono and transgender visibility: Oprah’s TV network, OWN, announced that it will air the television premiere of Becoming Chaz in May.

The film will debut at Sundance on January 23 and documents Chaz’s emotional and physical transformation from female (as Chastity) to male. If this brief clip is any indication, the documentary offers a powerful and poignant experience.



The network is planning a party at Sundance to celebrate the deal with Chaz in attendance; he also will be at the first showing of the film on Sunday.

Chaz with girlfriend of four years Jennifer Elia

OWN’s choice to premiere Becoming Chaz is very encouraging. In the announcement, network CCO Lisa Erspamer said, “We are proud to present this heartfelt and honest portrayal of Chaz’s personal transformation to our viewers. These courageous documentaries engage conversation and we are pleased to have them join OWN.”

What this tells me is that Oprah is serious when she says that she takes full responsibility for the energy of her network. She wants OWN programming to be meaningful and to connect with the audience, regardless of ratings. As with everything in her life, Oprah views the channel as a way to help people find the path to their highest selves. By including Becoming Chaz, OWN affirms that the transgender journey is one such path. That’s a huge statement.

Do you agree? Is OWN’s choice to air Becoming Chaz a positive step toward honest LGBT representation on TV? Any suggestions for other queer-positive content the network could pick up?

source