Chastity Bono's sex change
What changing her gender from female to male will do for Cher's daughter
Chastity Bono will be able to "do something as a man which she could never do as a woman in California," said TMZ. The daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono recently announced that she's undergoing a sex change procedure, which will allow her to "ask a judge to legally change" her gender from female to male, thus permitting Bono to then legally marry his longtime female partner. "Exact same person—totally different result. Go figure."
We're really happy for Chastity, said Ted Casablanca in E! Online, and we wish her nothing but the best of luck. But what we don't understand is why Chaz's publicist is asking for privacy for her client while she undergoes the sex change process. "Before all the news broke, Cher and her offspring did supposedly shop the very painful operation required around as a reality-TV show."
Everything about Chastity's sex change procedure is preposterous, said Laura Higgins in Opposing Views. No matter what, she "will always really be a woman"—"changing one's name, cross-dressing, ingesting hormones naturally produced by the opposite sex, and electively amputating healthy parts of one's sexual anatomy don't really change one's biological sex."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Will Trump lead to more or fewer nuclear weapons in the world?
Talking Points He wants denuclearization. But critics worry about proliferation.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Is Ye finally about to be canceled for good?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION From doubling down on overt antisemitism and Nazi admiration to a series of alarming public appearances, the rap superstar and fashion mogul might have finally gone too far
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Planning a trip? These are 3 budget-breaking mistakes to avoid.
The Explainer Don't accidentally inflate your travel costs
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published