Should Mom Support Teen's Transgender Surgery Request?
By ASHLEY LOUSZKO
It's hard to forget Chaz Bono's zest on the dance floor in last season's "Dancing with the Stars," but his appearance wasn't all glitter and glam. As the show's first transgender competitor, Chaz Bono - author, activist and, of course, the child of Cher - faced a backlash, with several conservative media groups threatening to boycott the show.
Thanks to Bono, the issue of gender reassignment surgery has received much press, but - as the backlash proved - publicity doesn't necessarily equal acceptance. " What Would You Do?" decided to test how bystanders would react to witnessing a teenage boy tell his mother that he is interested in gender reassignment surgery. Both the boy and the mother were actors hired by "What Would You Do?"
We set our hidden cameras up at the Park Wayne Diner in Wayne, N.J., and had our teen beg his mother to let him become a girl. Through Twitter, Cher took on the critics and showed her utmost support for her son Chaz, but what will bystanders say to a mother who doesn't?
After hearing much berating from our unsupportive mother, two women dining at the table nearby had enough.
Raquel and Denise couldn't help themselves from speaking up.
"He's old enough to make these decisions," Raquel told our mother, actress Traci. But Traci didn't break character, insisting that this was a condition that he would grow outgrow.
But our ladies would not back down and continued to support our struggling actor. Denise passionately chimed in, "You gotta remember that's your child; you have to love him no matter what."
Watch "What Would You Do?" Friday at 9 p.m. EST to see the other dramatic reactions and vote below to tell us how you feel.
