Here's hoping that the on screen drama of Dancing With the Stars
Season Thirteen (which premiers tonight) will quickly overshadow the
off-screen heckling of homophobic critics who attacked the reality dance
competition for casting Chaz Bono as one of the celebrity dancers.
Every season ABC's Dancing With the Stars recruits
celebrities, who are paired with professional dancers, trained in the
art of ballroom dancing and then challenged to perform these dances for
the judges and TV audiences.
This year's recruitment has been unusual, ever since the producers
announced they would be bringing on higher profile celebrities then they
had recruited in previous seasons. When the Season Thirteen cast
was announced, the eclectic group of dancing stars included Crime TV
host Nancy Grace and repentant ballplayer Ron Artest (who may soon be
going by the name Metta World Peace).
But some critics were upset by the casting of transgender activist Chaz Bono. And DWTS producers were accused of having a "gay agenda."
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, executive
producer Conrad Green replied, "We don't have an agenda of any sorts. I
think of the 120 celebrities we've put on the show, we've had, I think
now, three transgender or gay contestants. If that's a homosexual
agenda, we're not doing very well at it."
With his appearance on the Dancing With the Stars, Bono (who
is not gay) may become the most visible transgender man in America.
While the show didn't set out to recruit Bono to raise visibility of
transgender individuals, the fact that DWTS airs on a network like ABC, will increase visibility for this minority group.
And, as the controversy around his appearance demonstrates, despite political gains for gays and lesbians, transgender people continue to suffer from prejudice, discrimination and outright ignorance.
Bono's presence on Dancing With the Stars is just one reason to tune in this season. There are also new professional dancers like Peta Murgatroyd;
and, of course, the diverse group of celebrities who may stumble over
their own feet or glide effortlessly across the dance floor.
