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Chaz Bono always wanted to be a boy

Oct 26, 2012, 10:01 GMT

Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono knew he wanted to be a boy from the age of four.

The 43-year-old writer-and-musician was born a girl, Chastity Bono, and made the decision to change genders in 2008 but he admits he knew he didn't feel right from a very early on.

Chaz - whose parents are singer Cher and the late Sonny Bono - 'As far back as four or five I felt like a boy and wished I was a boy. At that time I didn't know anything about people being transgender or changing their sex. As I started to get older I made the mistake of thinking I was gay.

'My mother is a gay icon yet she wasn't over the moon when I came out as a lesbian in 1995. I wasn't surprised by her reaction. In fact, I knew it was going to be bad.'

The process to turn into a man took two years, but Chaz admits he has still not decided what kind of penis he wants.

He told The Sun newspaper: 'I'm not rushing it. There's a doctor in Belgrade who does excellent metoidioplasty - this is where a penis is created using clitoral tissue grown from testosterone.

'You're going to have a smaller penis but it's completely sensate and functional on its own. There's a long recovery period, which I imagine won't be pleasant.

'But at this point, I don't feel any less male for not having a penis. It's important, but it's not the be-all and end-all.'