By Tara Cavanaugh
Chaz Bono, the transgender child of Cher and Sonny Bono, is a member of the cast of this season's "Dancing With the Stars." As its first transgender contestant, Bono is receiving plenty of negative attention from the American Family Association, which has started an online petition campaign against Bono and is urging ABC to pull him from the show.
In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America", Bono insists that he isn't pushing a political agenda – he says he's already done a documentary and a book – and that he's going to be just dancing.
Bono also said that his presence on DWTS could have a positive impact on youth with gender dysphoria: "I know that when I was growing up if I had seen a show like this, with somebody like me, it would have made all the difference in my life."
Bono's mother, Cher, has also voiced her support several times for her son via Twitter but has not yet committed to attending DWTS.
