"Gender is between your ears, not between your legs."

Chaz Bono stopped by Good Morning America to talk about transitioning, and what it's like to be probably the most famous transitioning person in America.

[Transcript below, courtesy of Quixotess.]

Host, in TV studio: Now to a GMA exclusive, the American Psychological Association estimates that one in thirty thousand biological females in western countries have undergone a sex change. Chastity Bono, daughter of actress and performer Cher and the late Sonny Bono, was one of those women. Now, he's known as Chaz [camera shows us Chaz, also in the studio], and is coming forward to talk about his journey into manhood. This is a GMA exclusive.

[TV clip of Sonny and Cher, with toddler-age Chaz]

Sonny: Here's our own very special guest.

Cher: Tonight and every night.

Sonny: Our little girl Chastity. [To Chaz] Say goodnight. Now's the time.

Lil Chaz [in toddler voice]: Goodnight everybody, God bless you!

[Sonny and Cher laugh lovingly, as does the audience]

Host [in voice, over more clips of the family]: We know her as Chastity Bono, the only daughter of the legendary Sonny and Cher. Sharing the stage with her famous parents in the seventies. Now, that same little girl has changed not only her name, but also her sex.

Switches to pictures of Chaz presenting as a man]. Chaz Bono is eight months into a four to five year process of becoming a man. So far, he's received hormone treatments, and surgery to remove both breasts. The treatments have resulted in his voice deepening--he even has to shave his face. These exclusive photos give us the first glimpse into Chaz's life since the surgery. Joined at home with his girlfriend Jennifer and their three dogs.

[Switches back to the first clip of Sonny, Cher, and Lil Chaz. Sonny and Cher are singing "I Got You Babe." Continues with old pictures and clips. Host continues:] Chaz says while growing up as a little girl, he always felt more like a boy. Those feelings set off a long journey of self-discovery. As a young adult, Chaz, then Chastity, came out a lesbian--something mother Cher had difficulty coming to grips with.

[Clip of a previous interview of Chaz, presenting female] Chaz: She went ballistic and, you know, for a couple days, but very quickly came around, and, um, you know, we slowly started to work on it together, to the point where, you know now she's just really supportive.

Host [still in voiceover]: That was eleven years ago. Now, at the age of forty, Chaz has decided that the time is right to go through Gender Reassignment Surgery. In doing so, he's become the most public face of the transgender community.

[Back to Chaz and host in studio.]

Host: We're joined now by Chaz. Obviously it's great to have--

Chaz: Thanks, thanks, great to be here.

Host: Let me ask you something.

Chaz: Mm-hm.

Host: When you see all these different looks of yourself--

Chaz: Yeah.

Host: --do you feel that now, finally, when you look in the mirror, you see you?

Chaz: Getting there, yeah. You know, getting there. I mean, I've only been on hormone therapy for about eight months now. So there's been definite changes, and I feel so much more comfortable than I've ever been. And, but, um, you know, more--more to come.

Host: There is the physical--

Chaz: Mm-hm. Yep.

Host: --involved. There is the emotional. There is the personal, with your own relationship with Jennifer.

Chaz: Mm-hm. Yes.

Host: Dealing with your family, and the public.

Chaz: Yeah.

Host: How do you order the difficulties that you've had to go through, to do what you wanted to do?

Chaz: Um, I think probably the first thing that was just an incredible hurdle, was the idea that I wasn't gonna be able to do this privately, like most people can.

Host: Mm-hm.

Chaz: And that, that took a really long time to get over. And then, I think it was about, um, dealing with the people in my life and how it was gonna affect them. And finally, um, it came down to, you know, realizing that I've gotta live my life for myself. And life is short, and life is precious. And, you know, this is who I am, I need to finally be who I am.

Host: And that's the main question here, right? Cause people think gender--

Chaz: Mm-hm.

Host: --They think, "well, it's how you're born."

Chaz: Right.

Host: "That's what you are." The way you look, basically, that's what--what your appetites are, how you feel, that's different, But you are what you look like.

Chaz: Right.

Host: Is that true?

Chaz: No. I mean, to me, gender is between your ears, not between your legs. ANd, um, you know, I've felt male as far back as I can remember. And, um--

Host: Now, what does that mean? Unpack that for me, Chaz.

Chaz: Sure.

Host: When you say, "I felt male,"

Chaz: As a--as a--I mean, as a child, it was really clear. I felt like a boy. I felt like one of the boys, my friends were boys, um, you know, in school I related to boys. I was one of them. If a--if a game broke out, boys against the girls, I was with the boys. And, um, and then as I--as you get older, it gets more confusing. Because suddenly there's more pressure to fit into your assigned gender identity. And so it becomes really confusing, and a lot of F to Ms--female to male transgender people--end up doing a stint in the lesbian community. Because it just kind of makes sense, and that's, that's what happened to me. I mean, at--at thirteen, fourteen, I was real clear at that point that I was attracted to women. And so it was like "attracted to women, I am a woman, I guess I'm a lesbian," and, uh--

Host: But that's the simple answer, right?

Chaz: That's the simple answer.

Host: Because the--who you're attracted to, you're saying--

Chaz: It has nothing to do with your gender identity. And a lot of people find that really confusing, but they're two completely different things, you know. One is, is how you view yourself, and how you feel, and the other one is who you're attracted to.

Host: And it's also important to know: this is very hard. This [gestures between the two of them, indicating he's talking about the interview] is hard, you don't wanna have to do this. But the process, this is not an easy decision.

Chaz: No. This was a very difficult decision to make, um, but it's the best decision I've ever made, So I'm--I mean, I'm happier, I'm more confident, you know, I feel great. I mean, I feel great. And, um, you know--it would almost be easy to say "Why did I wait so long to do this?" except, but I'm a person who believes that things happen when they're sposed to happen--

Host: Mm.

Chaz: --and, you know, I was ready when I was ready, and, life is just...great, now. It's just really great.

Host: What scares you the most about all this?

Chaz: Nothing, now. Absolutely nothing.

Host: "Now," meaning why?

Chaz: Um, meaning, you know, I needed to work through the things that scared me in order to start this journey. And, so, at this point nothing scares me, I mean, um, you know, I'm living--I'm living the life that I've always wanted to live now. And that's amazing, so.

Host: So how do you take on both roles, of "I'm gonna be Chaz, this is who I am," you've made it right with Jennifer, you have to deal with your mom and all your family--

Chaz: Mm-hm.

Host: --but also now you're gonna be the public face. You somehow have to campaign for this.

Chaz: Um, I don't, you know, I don't think I'm, I'm looking at it as campaigning. I--I--you know, struggled a lot getting here. If, if by being public about it, other people can see this and not have to struggle quite as much as I did, then I'm really happy to do that. And if I can, you know, help make things easier legislation-wise, you know, I'm happy to so that as well. I mean, that's some--I've been an activist in the LGBT community for a long time, I don't really think that anything's changed. I--I'll continue to do this, I'm just a little bit more focused on the T now than I was on the L and the G.

Host [laughs]: That's a good way to put it. Well, Chaz, if you're happy, we're happy for you.

Chaz: Right. Thanks for the--

Host [shaking hands]: Very nice to meet you.

Chaz: Very nice to meet you too.

Host: Appreciate you taking the opportunity to do an interview with us.

Chaz: Absolutely, it's my pleasure.

Host: Chaz Bono.