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Chaz Bono is checking into Degrassi: The Next Generation and we think he'll be a perfect fit.
Chaz is being brought on to give the show's transgender teen character, Adam, a little pick-me-up!
More after the jump!
Chaz explains his decision to appear on the show to The Canadian Press, “There are a lot of trans kids and teens and to have representation of themselves really means a lot. At that age there wasn’t anything [for me]. I didn’t know about transgender people or that there was a possibility to transition or anything. And it made it really difficult to figure out what was going on with me.”
According to the show, "Bono appears as a judge on a battle of the bands contest that involves Adam’s group, WhisperHug. Adam spots Bono and approaches him to talk about girl troubles, and the struggles of gaining acceptance as a transgender teen."
Bono originally met the Degrassi producers at the Emmys last fall.
“When we met him in Los Angeles at the Emmys there was an instant connection between [creator] Linda Schuyler and [executive producer] Stephen Stohn and him,” says Stefan Brogren, who plays Mr. Simpson and is also a producer on the show.
“Having Chaz on board just made sense.”
Coincidentally, Degrassi was nominated for outstanding children’s program for an episode that delved into Adam’s struggles to live as a boy, even though he was born female.
Bono clearly can identify, acknowledging that he spent “years and years in pain and confusion” due to the limited resources available as he dealt with his own transgender issues in his youth.
Bono now says that had today's resources and support systems been in place when he was younger, he would have transitioned as a teen. “If it was like it is today when I was a kid, yeah I’m sure I would have. But it wasn’t. Nobody knew anything. … It’s completely different now.”
Look for Chaz's episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation towards the middle of season 12, which begins July 16 in Canada.
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