I’ve never watched, nor will I likely ever watch Dancing With the Stars. But this season I’ve been kind of interested in how one contestant has been doing in the competition: Chaz Bono. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know that Chaz was born Chastity Bono to Sonny Bono and Cher, and in recent years underwent a sex change operation. I can’t begin to imagine how it feels to believe in your soul that you were born the wrong gender. It must have been torment. Now he lives with his girlfriend and is an advocate for people like him. He went on the TV dance competition to be a role model for the kids who are going through what he went through. “If there was someone like me on TV when I was growing up,” he said, “my whole life would have been different.”
I find him inspiring even though I can’t relate to his struggle. He is a prime example of someone who has become who they feel they are meant to be despite the attitudes of others. Make no mistake, this is a landmark moment in network television.
It doesn’t seem very common anymore to find that someone takes personally, or is intolerant to, someone else’s lifestyle or sexual orientation but maybe that’s because I make it clear that I won’t stand for it. I find that attitude to be extremely immature, as if accepting the person’s actions becomes somehow a reflection on the bigot. I want to find every gay kid who feels they have to hide it and tell them it’s okay to come out. Sadly, in many families it still won’t be okay.
Rick Mercer is one of my absolute heroes and he happens to be a gay man. So what? He’s one of the most brilliant people in this country and his show is as much brain food as it is comedy. He did a rant the other day about teen suicides that needs to be seen. Whether a kid is gay or feels wrong in their own skin or whatever the issue – the adults in their lives need to take it seriously. I was bullied severely for a time in public school and it was just because I was left vulnerable by a teacher who had an obvious and clear dislike for me. Other kids picked up on it and took advantage. It passed. But I have an inkling of the self loathing that develops when you’re pursued only to be picked on and beaten up. For the record, I lied about incidents and injuries out of fear but my parents investigated and took immediate action. But not everyone has a parent who’s concerned enough to intervene and as a society overall, we adults aren’t doing nearly enough to stop it. Not nearly.