Dancing With the Stars: Chaz Bono Insists America Needs to See Him
Chaz Bono says that there is no way he is backing down from appearing in the new season of "Dancing With the Stars," insisting Americans need to see him on the reality show to fully grasp what it means to be transgendered.
"You know, it just kind of shows why for me it's important to be on the show, because so little still is known about what it means to be transgender," Bono told ABC News. "And there's so many just completely inaccurate stereotypes and thoughts that people have."
One Million Moms (OMM), a project of the American Family Association that often criticizes the entertainment industry, has told its members to boycott the show until Bono is taken out of the line-up of celebrities appearing on "Dancing With the Stars" (DWTS).
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"This is completely unacceptable and Christians should not watch the show, no excuses!" OMM said in a press release.
"We will not be able to watch the show with Chaz on there," Monica Cole, the organization's director, told "Inside Edition" on Wednesday. "This is going to be very confusing for children, and should not be included in their cast."
However, those connected with "DWTS" insist that Bono's personal journey and character will overshadow any sexual controversy his inclusion on the show will cause.
"We think Chaz is a great guy with a really interesting story," Conrad Green, the show's executive producer, told ABC News.
"One of the great strengths of our show is your ability to have preconceived ideas of people but when you actually see them on the show, you might well end up with different opinions of them," he added.
Howard Bragman, Bono's public relations adviser, said parents are paranoid about the "effects" watching Bono dance will have on their kids. In fact, he said, it might even help them.
"Watching Chaz Bono dance is not going to make your kid transgender," Bragman told "Good Morning America."
"But what it can do is possibly save your kids life because young transgender kids, kids with gender identity issues, have a huge suicide rate and if they see one positive influence, one positive role model, this can save lives and that's why Chaz is here," he added.
Dan Gainor, Vice President of Business & Culture at the Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog organization, said that Bono's inclusion is just part of a Hollywood coup on traditional family values.
"Whether it's "Glee" or "Dancing With the Stars", this is part of Hollywood's insistence on tearing down traditional families," Gainor told RadarOnline.com.
"Parents now more than ever must realize they cannot let their kids watch television without supervision or risk advocating lifestyles that most families do not approve of," he added.
Cher, Bono's mother, took to Twitter to defend her son against the attacks.
"Chaz is Being Viciously Attacked on Blogs & Message boards about being on DWTS!" she tweeted. "This is Still America right? It took guts 2 do it."
"Thanks for all your support mom," Bono tweeted in response. "The haters are just motivating me to work harder and stay on DWTS as long as I possibly can."
