Week of September 9: Dancing With the Bigots

By Sylvia Gurinsky

Until about a week ago, I cared about "Dancing With the Stars" in much the same way I care about any of the reality/entertainment shows created so far during the 21st Century: Not at all.

Then hatemongers started criticizing the addition of Chaz Bono - once Chastity Bono - to the list of competitors.

Like many television viewers, I'm old enough to remember watching "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" on CBS and seeing Cher and Sonny Bono picking up toddler Chastity at the end of each program as they sang one of their signature hits, "I've Got You Babe." It was wonderful to see.

Reality started to intrude on that ideal when Sonny and Cher divorced. Chastity would then go through an almost 40-year identity crisis way beyond being the child of divorced, high-profile parents - and has become Chaz in a sex-change procedure.

Bono has been telling his story. It's been of interest, but no particular controversy - until he signed up to take part in a show that's watched by people who profess to support "family values."

Never mind that this alleged "family values" show has included skimpy costumes, judges with insults, Marie Osmond collapsing from exhaustion (and probably unhealthy weight loss) and the most dysfunctional family in American politics (the Palins) or that the upcoming edition of the show will include lawyer-turned-Harridan-In-Chief Nancy Grace.

So-called fans of this show have shown their true colors with some very ugly - and very backward - statements about Chaz Bono. Statements that reveal more about them than about him.

Suddenly, there's a contestant for Americans who hate bigots to root for.

I still don't plan to watch the show, but I'm rooting for Chaz Bono. By appearing, he's already won.

With their statements, his haters have already lost.