by I am disturbed by all the hate focused on Chaz Bono as he competes on Dancing with the Stars:
“Of course, they knew there would be some anti-Bono calls and emails,” said a longtime “DWTS” insider. “But this has been more vicious and in larger volume than was anticipated. … Some of the comments are downright scary,” the source added.
It seems some of the negativity may be coming from ABC viewers in the Bible Belt — riled up by denunciations of Bono in sermons delivered by unhappy preachers.
I guess the Bible Belters are riled up because Chaz, The Man, was born into the body of a female. It seems they would prefer Chaz remain silent, and female, and not become the man he believes he was always intended to be — and that is a reprehensible and indefensible misreading of the core of human nature.
Is that Bible Belt mentality any worse than the pretentiously promiscuous and publicly erotic Lady Gaga and her faux and belligerent, fake-penis “Jo Calderone” golem that recently manifested itself on the MTV Video Music Awards:
We knew that at the VMAs, Lady Gaga was so committed to playing her male alter ego Jo Calderone that she never broke character, even when facing the press backstage. But it seems her performance went even deeper than that: A Gaga insider confirmed to Us Weekly that the singer wore a prosthetic penis to complete her get-up. (Or, if you prefer, “wore.”) No one was more convinced than actor and Dancing With the Stars alum Ralph Macchio, who tweeted out a photo comparing Jo Calderone to his look from The Outsiders and noted, “Getting the urge to crash the dwts cast announcements tonight dressed in rib eye steaks and a blonde wig.”
What Chaz Bono knows in his bones, and what Lady Gaga muffs in the guise of Jo Calderone, is that a penis doesn’t make you male and a fake penis certainly doesn’t define you as a man. Chaz Bono lives the “Born This Way” lyric while Gaga only sings about it. Chaz knows the human conundrum of being born one way, while also knowing he was born something else. Chaz Bono is the man Jo Calderone never was.
Sad about all the Chaz hating. If it’s different than “normal” people start being mean!
Gordon!
We use “average” not “normal!”
http://urbansemiotic.com/2007/05/31/normal-discrimination-and-average-power/
I have not seen the production you are discussing but my experience with alternative sexualities has taught me that most people hate what they cannot understand – or do not wish to understand. This hate can be exhibited in the most cruel of ways. In England this would be classified as “hate crime” and can be exhibited in various forms from actual violence, bodily harm and murder to less obvious but equally damaging humiliation and being made the subject of cruel and unecessary jokes.
I like how the UK thinks about these issues of sexual identification, Nicola. The USA can be so backward and punishing on these issues and it is because of intolerance and ignorance. It’s a sad way to live a life and to form children.