Fab Las Vegas Magazine - Volume 23 #11

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

-----------------------------------------------------------------------As the mother of a trans child, Chaz Bono, I’m wondering how you process the anti-trans hostility in this country. You know, how can you process it? I mean, it doesn’t process. It’s not like long division. You can’t do it. You have to just be open and loving and sometimes you don’t get things right away, you know? You can’t understand things right away, but if you stay open, look, I was nervous and I was afraid, and Chaz is my child and I’m Cher and I thought, “This is going to be a major spotlight.” But Chaz is so happy and we have so much fun together. Also, I have to tell you this, and this might not be politically correct, but when you have a trans child, you know the child you had, but you don’t know the new child. There’s a big difference. But the person is the same. But Chaz has different feelings about things, you know? Like, Chaz comes from a guy’s point of view. What would you tell people who struggle to understand or accept trans people? I would tell them if I woke up tomorrow and I was a guy, I would just lose my mind. [Laughs.] And that’s what I would tell people: “What if you woke up tomorrow and you were in the wrong body?” Everyone can understand that. It’s like, if you woke up tomorrow and you were a different sex but you had no control, you would just want to kill yourself. 20 Fab Vegas

There’s been so many attacks on drag queens in the country, and I’m thinking about all the Cher drag queens when I ask this next question. But what are your thoughts on how conservatives think that drag queens are trying to groom children? Oh my god, it’s fucking insane, OK? Like, you’re just going to pull that out of you know where? I think Democrats, they’ve got to get some show business. They’ve got to get something that’s not dry, because they don’t really understand how to sell it. I mean, I think Joe’s doing a great job. Not in everything. I don’t agree with him on a few things, but he’s done a lot of good, and the thing is, no matter how bad any other candidate would be, it couldn’t touch the hem of Trump’s garment with how horrible he is. We can’t use that as an idea because that has a religious connotation and I just forgot. I just meant no one is as bad as he is. I can’t fathom what it would be like to be him. While we’re talking about drag, a few years ago, you teased that you would consider going on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” but you still haven’t been on. But you know what? I don’t know why, and I love him. He’s the nicest person — really, really nice, and I’m not just saying it. I really don’t know why. I just feel like the bar would be so high that I just don’t know. What do you mean the bar would be so high?

I mean, I’d have to go on and be I don’t even know what. I’d have to be 10 feet taller than I am. Do you, though? You just have to be Cher, right? Yeah, but you know those guys; they’re so tall, so they make you look like a dumpy little thump. And that’s not what you want to get yourself into? [Laughs.] No! Is that really why you’re avoiding it? I’m never going to be that. I exaggerate; it was just the biggest exaggeration I could come up with off the top of my head. Sounds like you’d still be down for it. Photo Credit: FOX Yeah. You and Chaz are coproducing a horror film together called “Little Bites.” What can you say about that? I had my hand over one eye and was just kind of squinting because it was too scary. I don’t really like scary films. What is it like to work with Chaz? Chaz is really easygoing. And also, I stay out of it. It’s not my gig. I’m helping. “Burlesque” is getting the musical treatment, with Christina Aguilera coproducing. Are you involved in that? They asked me if I would have something to do with it but I don’t know. I really don’t know how I feel about it, you know?