Chaz Bono underwent gender transition at a time when people talked about the subject in hushed tones. The LGBTQ+ community has made great strides in the ten years following his transition. Nevertheless, Bono still feels that there’s more to do to eliminate LGBTQ+ discrimination, especially when it comes to trans people.
“The idea behind this day is to use visibility and education to help fight against the tremendous prejudice trans people face,” Bono wrote on Instagram on the Trans Day of Visibility. Bono’s fearless embrace of his authentic self in a time of adversity must be applauded.
Let’s look at what he’s up to in 2021.
Bono lives a secretive life with his girlfriend, Shara Blues Mathes, in West Hollywood
Bono has become increasingly secretive over the past couple of years. He was last pictured in public in October 2020 as he took his cats to the vet.
Accompanying him was his girlfriend, Shara Blues Mathes. The couple started dating nearly a decade after Bono broke up with ex-girlfriend Jennifer Ella. “I seem to repel women I am attracted to,” Bono said in 2015. Blues and Bono have been dating for about two years now.
Despite his commitment to secrecy, Bono still steps out to act. He starred in the May 2021 film Reboot Camp alongside Ja Rule, David Lipper, and Keli Price.
Bono occasionally updates his Instagram with photos of himself. His latest post promotes his July appearance on 4D with Demi Lovato.
The important thing is that whatever Chaz is doing, he is happy doing it. His mother, Cher, talked to CNN about Bono’s life now:
“Chaz is so happy, so unbelievably happy, and I don’t know what the people’s problems are. They’re fearful, and they just don’t understand how to react to it. Some of it’s religious, I’m just not sure why it’s such a big thing.”
Chaz had to deal with rejection from friends and family after his transition
The hardest part about Chaz’s transition was dealing with rejection. He had to handle rejection from family, friends, and ‘people he didn’t know and would never meet.’
“I had to deal with family not being comfortable, with partners not being comfortable,” Chaz told Demi Lovato. Bono found happiness when he stopped caring about what other people thought.
“I got to a place where I didn’t care and I was ready to finally take care of myself,” Bono added.
It might surprise you to learn that Cher – a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community – struggled to process Bono’s transition. She told CNN:
“And then we talked about transgender for many years, and she would say, ‘No I don’t want to do it,’ and then he went and said, ‘OK I want to do this.’ It wasn’t easy. Like I remember calling, and the old message – the old Chaz message was on the phone – and that was very difficult. But then you have one child, but you don’t really lose them – they are just in a different shape.”
Chaz Bono’s principal focus has been advancing his acting career
After Chaz shared his transition journey on Becoming Chaz in 2011, he bid farewell to reality shows. In a move that surprised his team, Chaz decided to pursue acting. He told The Advocate:
“I remember saying to [my team], ‘I’m not going to do [reality TV] anymore, I’m going to be an actor,’ and they were like, ‘What? You’re going to do what?’ I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore because people won’t take me seriously, and it’s going to be hard enough as it is. This is what I’ve always wanted to be, and I’m going to be an actor.”
It took some time, but Bono finally landed his breakout roles. His purpose was to land roles without the influence of his famous parents.
Chaz has proven that he has the talent to star on-screen and the work ethic to turn acting into a long career. He keeps looking for the next best role, which is unlikely to be a trans role. He told Pride Source:
“I really consider myself a character actor, and I really like playing parts that are very different from myself. That’s what I enjoy about acting, that’s what’s fun for me, and I think it’s what I’m really good at.”