Massachusetts Newspaper's Chaz Bono And Transgender Law Parody Slammed By LGBT Rights Activists

A Massachusetts newspaper's parody version of a holiday carol poking fun at Chaz Bono's gender reassignment surgery and the state's new transgender protections law has been met with a frosty response from human rights activists and other organizations.

In its Dec. 19 edition, The Lowell Sun ran the following lyrics, meant to be sung to the tune of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" as part of an article titled "Christmas carols -- with a twist," written by columnist and copy editor Dan Phelps:

Chaz Bono got turned into a man, dear.

Dancin' with a woman on TV.

You might say there's no such thing as Santa

Till you see what Chaz got 'neath his tree.

A later verse references the state's new Transgender Equal Rights Bill, signed by Governor Deval Patrick last month:

Now transgenders in the Bay State

Have a law that’s etched in black.

It says they can change their gender.

Then if they want, they can change it back.

You can read the full lyrics of the song here. Other carols parodied include a version of "Away in a Manger," which contains digs at GOP candidates Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich.

However, it's the Bono segment that has sparked the most controversy. "Apparently The Lowell Sun doesn’t think that trans people are human beings worthy of common respect and dignity who might themselves be celebrating the Christmas holiday," writes blogger Laurel Ramseyer. "No, The Lowell Sun seems to think that trans people exist to be used as the punch line in a dreadful piece of defamatory writing dressed up to pass as a joke."

The Human Rights Campaign also expressed their distaste with the parody, noting: "It is unacceptable for transgender Americans, and the very real challenges they face, to become comedic punch lines –- and we have an obligation to speak out against such dangerous stereotypes."

For a (hopefully) more holly-jolly LGBT take on the holidays, take a look at our picks for the gayest Christmas songs below:

Comments

[kimroot]

11:49 PM on 12/29/2011

Let's Let Chaz be Chaz and let the rest of us go on being what we are...I have had gay and lesbian friends all my life, and you know what? They are no different from my so called "real friends" I so trust my gay and lesbian friends more so , than my real friends....My daughter Kari , is so gay' I think I should call her my son! All though I think she tries to be my daughter but she is my son to a point!!!!

[Degam]

11:41 AM on 12/28/2011

It seems as though that when writing a so called Christmas song they forgot entirely about the reason for the season. Would they think it would be appropriate to write a song which belittles a Jewish ex-carpenter? After all he was the one who spread a message of love and acceptance of others, you know that whole 'judge not least you be judged and an injury to the least of these is an injury to me' thing

[maggs813]

05:58 PM on 12/22/2011

Absolutely shameful! I created a Change.org petition to remove this article and apologise! http://chn.ge/vcKiWO

[Leo F Venuti]

04:56 PM on 12/21/2011

Comments like that coming from one of the filthiest cities in Massachusetts, They need to write about cleaning up the dump and getting all of the drugs and hookers off the streets of Lowell.

[almchrl13]

12:18 AM on 12/22/2011

Bette Davis was born in Lowell.
That's something.

[naughtybabz]

08:44 AM on 12/21/2011

The Lowell Sun is often biased and definitely keeps to their conservative agenda but they'll deny that to the death. Sense of humor? No, there are harmless jokes and then there are cruel jokes clearly attacking a group of people. For acity that's supposed to be so forward, this is a great example of the people's ignorance. Oh, and it's my hometown.

[stp123]

11:49 PM on 12/22/2011

umm, the above article clearly states that the christmas carols contained digs towards GOP candidates as well...explain the sun's conservative agenda. maybe you didn't realize this because maybe conservatives can lighten up and have a sense of humor.

[zakidtam]

02:49 AM on 12/21/2011

Note to activists - equal rights includes have a sense of humor.

[DanaLane]

02:20 PM on 12/22/2011

Says the person who probably isn't targeted in these kind of attacks.

[zakidtam]

06:01 PM on 12/22/2011

I don't make documentaries about my personal life for public view and invite criticism.

[geaux saints]

09:49 PM on 12/20/2011

HA

[Christina-Xena]

08:50 PM on 12/20/2011

I think whether substituted lyrics are acceptable depends on when you remove the music: what is the message and how much sense does it make? Just putting something potentially offensive or false to music doesn't add legitimacy to it.

The first offensive line shown in the article is "Then if they want, they can change it back" AS IF the typical transsexual is going to flip back-and-forth on their legal gender designition. This pretends that transsexuals are wishy-washy and not serious about their gender identity.

Then on the original web site int he chorus added "Sonny, he would grieve" which really is a rude conclusion that presumes that every father would distain their trans-son or trans-daughter, even if some grieving, for the lose of the assigned gender child and old relationship, is normal for the parents of trans-children. Cher went through this stage and came out very accepting of Chaz.

Frankly as a Christian music songwriter, and someone who works with trans-people a bit, I could come up with more sensible and funny trans-related lyrics, and not be offensive. In fact I bet even trans-person's would enjoy them if shared in the right place and crowd.

But I don't think this negative version will become so popular that it threatens trans-gender progress in general society. But a public warning or two helps keep the expressed public hate in check. Comedy can be a weapon if misused.

[DovS]

12:20 AM on 12/21/2011

You can tell a lot about a person's views by what they think is funny. You are right in that it is possible to make a trans-themed joke without being offensive. The key to comedy is violating a taboo in a harmless manner. So when someone thinks something is funny, it tells you what they think is harmless. If what they think is harmless is saying that a normal parent should disdain their transgendered child or that gender identity is a lifestyle choice, it tells you what the speaker thinks about the value of a transgendered person. Bigotted humor is only funny to someone who is bigotted because, to anyone else, the harm done by the statement makes it unfunny.

[Christina-Xena]

11:32 AM on 12/21/2011

You offer a valid basis for humor.

Regarding "The key to comedy is violating a taboo in a harmless manner." The audience has a "take" on where the speaker of that humor is personally, i.e. is the comedian naturally or by association being biased for or against the social group being the focus of such humor. So the same black humor is being said by a black person is likely to be taken differently then if said by a white comedian.

Although the exception is when the comedian is in fact making fun of himself, as a member of a usually biased group, so it illistrates the inherient bigotery of the group, which can be an effective way of exposing such bigotery and helping to change attitudes.

I believe Kathy Giffin could make gay related jokes and come across as funny to a gay crowd, because they know she fully accepts them and appreciates them as people. However to quote her "I'm not so into making fun of someone for the way they look, or something that's out of their control." (Wikipedia)

So humor can be funny because it reveals hidden elements of bigotery, or because they reinforce them. Jay Leno just recently make a joke about "Transvestite Prostitutes on Craig's List" and was an example of reinforcing bigotery. I found the joke unfunny and distasteful (including the use of an outdated term: Transvestite). So was the song lyrics that was intentionally negative from a biased publication.

[Brenda Lunger]

09:57 AM on 12/21/2011

It's interesting that they brought Sonny's name into it. According to an earlier bio from Chaz ("Family Outing"), Sonny was more understanding and accepting than Cher when it came to the fact that Chaz was romantically oriented towards women when living as a woman. By all accounts, Sonny was loving and accepting of Chaz when he was alive.

Of course, the Lowell Scum caters to the conservative religionists who would portray their jebus as a gun-totin' trans/homophobic white pharisee, so it's not surprising that they have now re-invented Sonny Bono for their purposes.

[Christina-Xena]

11:36 AM on 12/21/2011

Fully agree. And I find it a bit "dishonest" to make assumption on how someone would react who is now dead, who obviously can't dispute such assertions. No doubt that Cher or even Chaz could make counter-assertions, but then for such a minor matter I doubt they will stoop to that level or wish to give these lyrics more publicity.

[tinalc]

05:27 PM on 12/20/2011

I think it was FUNNY

[DovS]

12:21 AM on 12/21/2011

And that's how we know that you are a bigot.

[Ioan Lightoller]

04:21 PM on 12/21/2011

Yeah, real funny unless you are transgendered or have a transgendered loved one or friend.

[HeliosOne]

03:36 PM on 12/20/2011

Ugh, this is my hometown newspaper, and yes, despite being in Massachusetts they are considered a conservative paper. This is nothing to be proud of Lowell...

[klwarner]

01:20 PM on 12/20/2011

I quite honestly have no idea how anything that was printed in the Lowell Sun could make national news. Just the same, these are just bad jokes, nothing more, I don't think anything in those lyrics really directly poked fun specifically at the challenges transgender people face.

[KAYLEE BURRIS]

12:48 PM on 12/20/2011

i should have known ,it was from the westboro babtist church,>dan phelps

[stp123]

11:54 PM on 12/22/2011

are you joking? wrong phelps there, hun

[KAYLEE BURRIS]

09:38 AM on 12/23/2011

MAYBE WRONG FAMILY,but dont think so,it would be something they would do.

[Keyser77]

12:06 PM on 12/20/2011

Actually that was pretty funny, bet Chaz would have laughed too.

[stp123]

11:55 PM on 12/22/2011

you're probably right!!

[K Alanis Ginsu]

12:03 PM on 12/20/2011

...at least they got the pronouns right for Chaz, that's more respect than he gets from a lot, lot, lot of people. still they suck.

[chesscub]

11:44 AM on 12/20/2011

The Lowell Sun is considered a joke to the Lowell area. Its reporting is substandard. Most people buy the Globe when they want a newspaper.