Enlgish 101A
Mary Jaffe- Sullivan
1/19/2011
Laura Klein
Let him Dance

The word transgender seems to have stirred a whirlwind of controversy that has everyone burning up the phone lines, blogging, tweeting and using every form of media to argue whether or a not a man should be able to dance with a woman on a national dance competition. Chaz Bono should be able to partake in Dancing with the Stars without ridicule and be judged solely on his dancing technique. Activists are calling for boycotts of this number one rated show because Chaz Bono is one of many contestants this season. The controversy here is Chaz’s right to compete in peace on the show so that he will be judged by his dancing abilities only and not by his transgender identity. What is it that has everyone scared? Is it the fear of the unknown and lack of understanding of what being transgendered means? Transgender by definition is a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the persons sex at birth according to Webster’s, or simply put the inside doesn’t match the outside appearance of a man or women. There are a multitude of debates circulating around Chaz Bono dancing on this season’s Dancing with The Stars that it needs to be addressed. The “anti-Chaz” organizations state “he could be contagious to our children”, also that it will affect children negatively and is anti-Christian. These reasons are simply invalid and uneducated. Therefore Chaz Bono should be able to partake in Dancing with the Stars without ridicule and be judged solely on his dancing technique.
Chaz was born a female named, Chastity Bono and grew up in America’s living rooms as the adorable only daughter of Sony and Cher Bono. Now as an adult Chaz realizes that his struggles throughout his whole life have been because he is transgendered. The argument here is should Chaz Bono be allowed to dance on a national program as a man? Christian groups are calling for boycotts of the show stating “it is unchristian and makes a mockery of God’s plan”. While their opinions need to be respected that doesn’t mean they should be agreed with. How many Christians have undergone plastic surgery for their nose, breasts, tummy tucks or other cosmetic augmentations to change the way they were born “in God’s plan”.
Further arguments being thrown out involved parents calling for a boycott of the show stating it would affect the kids negatively and confuse them. Parents feared how they could possibly explain to their children why Chaz would be dancing with professional dancer, Lacey Schwimmer. Bullying was running rampant on every site and the network itself was bombarded with phone calls, letters, and emails calling for Chaz Bono to not be allowed to dance on TV. Chaz reported receiving threats and being harassed by many people who did not want to see him dancing. Facebook, a social network, was overwhelmed with parental groups demanding this not be allowed to happen. The controversy reached a fever pitch all the way up to the moment Chaz Bono walked out onto the dance floor to perform his first dance. What should be scarier is that parents would look to a television program, let alone a dance competition to do their parenting for them. Why have we started using the TV as a babysitter and now as an “educational tool” to guide our children’s moral compass? That says more about the parents than it does about the transgendered community. Why are parents not parenting their own children? Even more concerning is what in the world is so difficult to explain to kids that a man is dancing with a woman during a dance competition. Because that is exactly what is happening….a man is dancing with a woman on a dance show! The children do not know Chaz was born a female and had surgery any more than they realize how much plastic surgery all the judges and contestants have had to look the way they do. Children are just simply enjoying the costumes, dancing and music. . Unintentionally Bono has become the transgender community’s living symbol of hope, strength and defiance against vitriolic hate. This should be the message we send to our children to accept everyone and not judge what we do not know or understand.
In conclusion Chaz Bono should be able to enjoy every experience because it is his right. He is a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and needs to be judged by the professionals on his dancing, and only his dancing. Trangenders simply want to have their insides match their outward appearance. Dancing with the Stars has already had gay contestants compete on different seasons and the world didn’t end, so to believe that a transgendered person can also compete on a dance show and the world will survive is a safe bet. Hate groups need to educate themselves whenever they encounter something new or unknown. The amount of bravery it took for him to stand up for himself by undergoing one of the most drastic surgical and psychological changes in the world is no small thing. After hearing both sides hopefully people will stop protesting and simply say “Let him Dance”.