Drawing a line in the ballroom: when transgender paranoia crosses the line

With the season fully underway, Chaz Bono has faced the brunt of the "Dancing with the Stars" experience, not only facing elimination this past Tuesday night, but being the face of the season's biggest controversy: his sex change. While both Chaz and the producers of the program attempt to present him as a normal 40-year-old celebrity trying to master his routine for the week, many of his critics continue tearing into his gender-bender decisions. Of all people to display his extreme dislike for Chaz's actions, Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychology professor at Tufts University School, made an appearance on the Bill O'Reilly show the week previous, making a statement to parents that their children should not be allowed to watch the show due to risk factor of enhancing a child's chances of suffering from Gender Identity Disorder. However, many other psychology professors agree to disagree with this accusation, stating that there's no physical evidence that proves that watching Chaz Bono on the show would induce the disorder in which children would begin to question their own gender identity.

Both sides of the controversy bring very strong arguments to the table. Anti-gender-benders claim that Gender Identity Disorder could be similar to when kids light up because their favorite actor smokes or chugs a beer because they did so in their favorite movie. However, pro-gender-benders refute that statement, saying that its extremely easy for teens to be influenced by teen smoking and drinking in movies compared to watching a 40-year-old transgender dance on a reality show, where the issue of his sex change has not even been discussed on the air.

Whatever the case, the extremes some critics are going to in order to degrade Chaz and his sex change are unacceptable at any level by any human being. His sex change was not influenced by watching a transgender on television, then causing him to think in similar ways as that celebrity. In addition, with the transgender bill stalling at the statehouse, nothing could hinder the bill's passing more than a professor from Tufts appearing on a nationally acclaimed show and announcing his distaste for the subject, then taking it one step further and telling parents to shelter their child from reality and having them forbid their children from watching this season because of a transgender, when his sex change has not been mentioned ONCE throughout the duration of this season of "Dancing with the Stars". Already  4 episodes deep into the 20 episode season, you would think if something was to be said about the topic of his sex change, it would have already been said, correct? They're 1/5 of the way through the season, so these allegations are simply factious in nature. If children even find out about the issue, wouldn't it just be easier to simply explain Chaz's situation upfront, avoiding the issue for a later age when it might be too late to discuss the matter? Ablow's comments can only hinder the progression of transgender rights in this state.

Deborah Kotz displays both sides of the controversy upfront, allowing the pros and con from each position to flow through her article.  While stating Dr. Ablow's thesis, that watching Bono on "Dancing with the Stars" could induce a child's Gender Identity Disorder, she counters the thesis with Dr. John Oldham's commonly accepted thesis that Gender Identity Disorder would not simply be created due to watching a transgender on a reality television show. While Kotz states her insecurity with telling her children about Chaz Bono's situation, she describes the benefits and handicaps of understanding the term "transgender", which is more or less a cultural term. "Transsexual" is simply a term associated with hormone transitions and organ transplants due to a person's insecurity with the gender they supposidely embody. Kotz reassures her readers that the chances of having a transgender child are extremely slim, in order to persuade those parents on the edge with this situation that its likely that whether or not your child watches the show that their child will not be a transsexual.

"Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars: should kids be banned from watching?"
http://www.boston.com/Boston/dailydose/2011/09/chaz-bono-dancing-with-the-stars-should-kids-banned-from-watching/EPkM8y89Nb6nK2opxlO9JK/index.html