Chaz Bono 'Not Paying That Much Attention' to 'DWTS' Controversy
Bono challenges his "DWTS" critics to watch the show, then decide
Sept. 6, 2011 -- The entertainment, political and Internet worlds are abuzz in controversy over the Season 13 cast of "Dancing With the Stars," but the man at the center of it all, transgender activist Chaz Bono, seems to be taking it all in stride.
"I really haven't been paying that much attention to it," Bono said today on "Good Morning America." "I think it's a much bigger deal to everybody else than it is to me."
Check out the full cast of the new season of "Dancing with the Stars."
"It" would be the decision by the producers of the ABC hit dancing reality competition to not only cast Bono, who underwent a gender reassignment surgery and legally changed his gender from female to male last year, as one of the show's 12 celebrity competitors, but to also partner him with a female dancer.
"I'm just a regular guy," Bono said on "GMA" of the outcry over his selection. "All these ideas that children shouldn't watch me, I'm going to be confusing, all this stuff, it's crazy."
Bono, 42, grew up as Chastity Bono, the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono.
Used to living his life in the public eye, he has been just as outspoken about his transition from woman to man, appearing on talk shows, writing a book and opening the whole process to the world in the Emmy-nominated documentary "Becoming Chaz."
The outcry over his selection has been far and wide.
OneMillionMoms.com, an online activism group geared towards mothers, is calling for the boycott of the show, set to premiere Sept. 19 on ABC. On its website, the group calls Bono's casting "completely unacceptable and Christians should not watch the show, no excuses!"
Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team, penned a piece, "Don't Let Your Kids Watch Chaz Bono On 'Dancing With the Stars' " which ran on FoxNews.com.
Dan Gainor of the Culture and Media Institute called Bono's casting "a ridiculous, agenda-driven move by 'Dancing With the Stars' … the latest example of the networks trying to push a sexual agenda on American families."
Bono is the first transgendered person to ever compete on the show. He joins a Season 13 cast that includes the second openly gay man, Carson Kressley, ever to compete in the show's history.
That expected lightning rod, including the possibility leaked by producers that they considered partnering Kressley with a male dancer, has been overshadowed by the casting of Bono.
"We will not be able to watch the show with Chaz on there," Monica Cole, director of OneMillionMoms.com told "Inside Edition" last Wednesday. "This is going to be very confusing for children, and should not be included in their cast."
See the full list of celebrity and pro pairings.
Bono, who has tweeted about the outcry but never spoken about it on live television prior to his "GMA" appearance today, gave a challenge to his critics.
"I'd tell them to watch the show and decide after that," he said. "It's a dancing show. I'm not there talking about anything other than dancing."
"People who don't have gender dysphoria aren't going to catch it by watching me dance on television," he added.
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