In its latest edition (dated June 29), People magazine piled up the praise for Chastity Bono’s decision to be "Chaz," declaring herself to be a male. This leads to the kind of journalism that ignores all the hard-to-obscure physiological facts and goes with the feelings of the celebrity it’s celebrating:
(Transgendered people believe they were born as the wrong sex, so except in quotes, PEOPLE will refer to Chaz as ‘he,’ even when referring to past events, to reflect what Bono considers his true gender.)
Journalists don’t have to oppose transsexuality to be accurate (and there wasn’t even a hint of opposition to the decisions of "Chaz" in the People article). But accuracy should require that females be described as female.
The "he" and "his" pronouns weren’t in the headline or beginning of the article, no doubt out of concern of confusing the reader. The headline was "Becoming Chaz: With her family’s support, Sonny and Cher’s daughter reveals she is transgender and living as a man."
The article began: "The images are iconic TV moments: Precious little Chastity Bono, with her blonde hair and chubby cheeks, gracing her parents 1970s variety show The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour..."
People insisted that some of Bono’s relatives still need to adjust to the times. Cher’s mother told a newspaper, "Whatever way she goes is fine with me....I love her and I’m behind her."
The story included instructional quotes from Masen Davis of San Francisco’s Transgender Law Center and Shannon Price Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, "who is transgender." It ended with supporters praising her "gigantic step" that would be "fantastic."
This kind of journalism is supposed to demonstrate sympathy and solidarity rather than accuracy or balance.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Hey Chaz! Welcome to
June 22, 2009 - 12:50 ET by MidAmericaHey Chaz! Welcome to the world of white males! You are now presumed to be a bigoted, sexist, racist, homophobe.
Hold on. Can a man be chaste?
June 22, 2009 - 14:45 ET by jazboIsn't "it" really the correct pronoun?
Those who believe in nothing will believe anything.
Well . . . .
June 22, 2009 - 14:50 ET by DoktorFrankenIf it was a She before and an It now wouldn't the correct pronoun be SheIt?
Does that mean Chaz
June 22, 2009 - 14:03 ET by deerjerkydaveDoes this mean that Chaz can now join the boys in the locker room for showers?
Who woulda thunk this would
June 22, 2009 - 14:16 ET by RR GOPWho woulda thunk this would happen!
Actually, I wouldn't have...maybe just drugs, alcohol and the like.
Yeah, I still remember when Chastity was presented on her parent's TV show and thought, "What a stupid name for a kid."
But there again we've also gotten Moon Unit, Dweezl, Track, Trip, etc. so back in elementary school I didn't know how weird it could get.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
Bizarre...
June 22, 2009 - 14:29 ET by PrairieSkyThat's about the only word for this...Bizarre. I suppose I can understand the whole "born in the wrong body" thing...I can understand Chastity Bono having a sex change operation, if she feels strongly enough that she would be better off and happier if she surgically became a male. But expecting people to consider her a "him", before she has the surgery and just because she says so, is all a bit too weird for me. As far as I'm concerned, as long as she still has her female sex organs, she's a woman, no matter what she calls herself.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Chastity will be a female no
June 22, 2009 - 14:42 ET by MrSnugglesChastity will be a female no matter what organs she has so long as she has female chromosomes. She will just be a mutilated female.
Funny isn't it, seeing how
June 22, 2009 - 15:15 ET by flyfisherFunny isn't it, seeing how libtards celebrate triumphs of "science" over ideology? I thought The One was going to usher in a new era, a return of science.
Science is crystal clear on the gender of Ms. Bono.
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw...
"The Trees" by Rush
MrSnuggles...I stand...
June 22, 2009 - 20:03 ET by PrairieSkycorrected...I had forgotten about the chromosomal sexual identity...Even after her female sexual organs are removed and male sex organs are surgically created for her, she will still maintain her XX chromosomes, and will therefore remain chromosomally a female.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Pathetic to me....all of
June 22, 2009 - 14:50 ET by bigtimerPathetic to me....all of this.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
As a Person
June 22, 2009 - 14:54 ET by DoktorFrankenSince we are all people and have all experienced an internal struggle of some kind or another, I have to feel a bit of sympathy for Guy Bono. She/He/It will never be anything natural again. Surgical alterations will have taken care of that.
Doktor, everyone should feel pity for the poor boy.
June 22, 2009 - 15:06 ET by acaiguanaI mean gosh, his father was famous and a Member of the House. Maybe the ski accident was an indicator of genetic slip?
His mom was famous and has tons of bucks.
He never had a chance.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana notes from the Underground' (Soon to be at theaters near you)
Hmmmm..
June 22, 2009 - 15:41 ET by gregfaheySo, are they "his" ovaries?
ovaries?
June 22, 2009 - 15:51 ET by konoYeah, and they'll help 'him' be the next 'pregnant man' story on the 'news'...
US and Tiger Beat are much
June 22, 2009 - 15:43 ET by mattmUS and Tiger Beat are much more reliable.
Who was the "donor" for the graft?
June 22, 2009 - 15:51 ET by SickofLibsHad to be either Tingles or Harriet Smith.
Lightly-used showbiz "units" are highly sought-after.
Stan: I want to have babies.
June 22, 2009 - 15:53 ET by ledurchiStan: I want to have babies. Reg: You want to have babies?!?! Stan: It's every man's right to have babies if he wants them. Reg: But ... you can't HAVE babies! Stan: Don't you oppress me! Reg: I'm not oppressing you, Stan. You haven't got a womb! Where's the fetus gonna gestate? You gonna keep it in a box?
LOL
June 22, 2009 - 16:00 ET by MidAmericaThat's one of my favorite scenes. It is based on some of the reality detached thinking common among liberals.
cultural combat
June 22, 2009 - 16:01 ET by konoIt needs to be repeated, over and over, until Liberal PC-obsessed nitwits finally get it: We don't invent reality by our will or feelings. What's true is true, whether we want it or not, whether we like it or not, and whether we accept it or not.
Too bad Chastity didn't learn this when she was in school.
With such unusual parents as Sonny and Cher...
June 22, 2009 - 17:19 ET by Kat Outta the BagWhere did "Chaz" learn to love?
Hahahhahahahhaha
June 24, 2009 - 02:59 ET by MeowMeowKat, I am LMFAO.
What a great line.
Which
June 22, 2009 - 17:28 ET by mrbillSo Chastity has decided to go from being a Fat Chick....to a Fat Dude.
just wonderful....heh
This is just incredibly sad
June 22, 2009 - 17:42 ET by BlondeThe whole thing....C. Bono's incredibly screwed up life. It must be horrible to be so thoroughly unhappy living one's life.
Particularly in the public eye.
I hope he fails, too.
Yes, very sad
June 22, 2009 - 17:52 ET by Kat Outta the BagWasn't it around the time Chastity Bono was in her adolescent years that her mom was humping every barely post-pubescent wannabe actor she could find? Shoot, that might repulse any young girl enough to turn gay.
good news for Perez then
June 22, 2009 - 18:56 ET by UndercoverConservativehe can have a messed-up boyfriend and girlfriend at the same time. Made for each other, those two.
WWW.GS2AC.COM. 2nd Amendment Grass Roots Action in the Bay Area, CA. We're not all "Breakfast Cereal" folks here! :)
Well, well, well…. guess
June 22, 2009 - 23:44 ET by maggieqpublicWell, well, well…. guess we can always rely on the MSM to treat a story like this as a personal triumph instead of a tragedy.
I can understand.....
June 23, 2009 - 08:46 ET by GecksA man wanting to be a woman, but a woman wanting to be a man? Especially a WHITE man!! Can't imagine it! She is now entering into an abyss of sanctioned discrimination. First she fights for equal rights as a "lesbo" and now she is asking for discrimination. I just don't get it!!
"Hey, how come gay men don't like women? It's not like we don't also have A$$holes !" My sister.
Destiny rarely calls on you when it is convenient!
People Magazine
June 23, 2009 - 13:01 ET by NiallPeople Magazine is not a medical journal. It barely qualifies as a serious journalism. I don't think it undermines the edifice of journalism to refer to a sex change by whatever term she/he requests.