Arts & Entertainment
Inside Chaz’s ‘Transition’
Despite flaws, Bono bio an engaging, uplifting read
The face in the mirror is yours.
Yes, you recognize that chin, the eyes that droop when fatigued, the mouth that’s etched parentheses around itself, as if to enclose something you said.
That’s your hair. Those are your ears. That’s your nose.
It’s you there in the mirror – the outside you – but inside, well, what you see isn’t what you know. In the new book “Transition” by Chaz Bono (with Billie Fitzpatrick), you’ll read what it’s like to feel like you’re in the wrong body, and how a tiny Hollywood darling became a man.
On the wall of his home, Chaz Bono has a picture of himself and his parents, taken when he was a toddler. They all look happy, Bono says, but he doesn’t remember that day, or much of his childhood.
What he does remember, though, is that he always felt like a boy, even though he was the daughter of Sonny and Cher.
Bono says that, as a child, he dressed in boy clothes as much as possible and answered to a boy’s nickname. He played with boys at school and his best friend was a boy. Nobody thought much about it, he says. That’s just the way it was.
Puberty was rough and Bono came out as a lesbian, but something still wasn’t quite right. He didn’t identify with women, gay or otherwise, and distant feelings of masculinity colored his relationships with them and with his family. Still, he lived his life as a woman: falling in love, starting a band, buying a house, and trying to stay out of the public eye.
Bono’s father seemed supportive of his lesbianism. His mother had trouble with it.
But happiness eluded Bono and he turned to drugs to cope with the frustration. By then, though, he thought he knew what he needed to do.
On March 20, 2009, he says “I drove myself to the doctor’s office… I felt only confident that what I was doing was right.”
“After all the years of fear, ambivalence, doubts, and emotional torture, the day had finally come. I was on testosterone, and I have never looked back – not once.”
Author Chaz Bono says at one point that he was never very good at transitions. He did a pretty good job at this one, with a few minor bumps.
“Transition” is filled with angst, anger, sadness and pain, topped off with wonderment and joy. It’s also repetitious, contains a few delicately squirmy moments, and its occasional bogginess is a challenge for wandering minds.
For wondering minds, Bono is quick to defend and explain away his family’s reluctance to accept his gender reassignment, but he’s also willing to admit to being hurt by it. Still, contentment and awe shine forth at the end of this book, and readers will breathe a sigh of relief for it.
If you can face the slowness that crops up in “Transition” now and then, you’ll find it to be a pretty good memoir. For you, it’s a book to put your hands on.
Out & About
Blade Summer Kickoff Party returns to Rehoboth
Politicians slated to speak at annual Blue Moon party
The Washington Blade’s 17th annual Summer Kickoff Party returns Friday, May 17, 5-7 p.m. at the Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave.) in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
It’s an exciting election year in Delaware, which is poised to elect its first Black woman senator (Lisa Blunt Rochester) and the nation’s first transgender member of Congress (Sarah McBride).
McBride is scheduled to speak at the party along with several politicos from the area. With the retirement of longtime state Rep. Peter C. Schwartzkopf, a staunch LGBTQ ally, three strong contenders are running to replace him. All three — Marty Rendon, Kathy McGuiness, and Claire Snyder-Hall — are slated to speak at the party. A representative from Blunt Rochester’s campaign is scheduled to speak, along with Kim Leisey, the new executive director of CAMP Rehoboth.
Tax-deductible tickets are $20 and available on Eventbrite or via the Blade’s Facebook page. The party is sponsored by Justin Noble of Sotheby’s, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Blue Moon.
Andy Cohen, executive producer of “The Real Housewives” franchise and host of “Watch What Happens Live,” will return to Sixth & I on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m.
This event will be his fifth appearance at the venue to celebrate the paperback release of his New York Times bestselling memoir, “The Daddy Diaries,” talk about the latest Housewives happenings, and answer audience questions about everyone’s favorite Bravolebrities.
Cohen will be in conversation with Rep. Robert Garcia, who represents California and is the first LGBTQ immigrant to win a congressional seat. Rep. Garcia has also been known to quote from “The Real Housewives” in congressional hearings.
Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
“Herses- Purse Frist Extravaganza” will be on Friday, May 3 at 9 p.m. at 1835 14th St. N.W. This will be an evening of dancing and performances, hosted by HAUS of Bambi Award-winning Performance Artist, BUMPER. Refreshments are also available for purchase.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.