In an appearance on the Oprah
Winfrey Show and in several interviews, Chaz Bono is promoting
Tuesday's premiere of Becoming Chaz.
Becoming Chaz, which focuses on
Bono's gender reassignment, will launch nascent cabler OWN's
documentary series. Winfrey launched the network in January.
The 42-year-old Bono, who was born
Chastity Bono to gay idol Cher and the late entertainer-politician
Sonny Bono, announced last June that he was eight months into gender
reassignment.
In an interview with Winfrey, Bono
talks about how altering his sex affected his relationship with
longtime love Jennifer Elia.
“It was really hard,” Elia says on
Monday's broadcast.
“We had to really almost re-learn how
to communicate and how to be around each other,” Bono adds.
“Suddenly [things] didn't mean the same thing to her. And so we
really had to, you know, adjust our – how we did things and relearn
how to be together.”
In
an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Bono lamented
that transgender rights hadn't kept pace with gay and lesbian rights.
“Obviously the transgender movement
has not progressed in the way that the gay and lesbian movement has,”
Bono said. “But I'm an activist – that's just the kind of person
I am.”
Immediately following the documentary's
premiere, OWN will broadcast a one-hour special hosted by Rosie
O'Donnell that focuses on the making of the film and various issues
faced by transgender people and their families. In the special,
O'Donnell will talk to Bono, Elia, and the makers of the documentary.