The “Dancing with the Stars” message board lit up with a tsunami of transphobic remarks about Chaz’s upcoming appearance  giving us a window into what this segment of the population confronts.

“HUGE HUGE fan of this show since season two and eagerly await each season to get my dancing/entertainment ’fix’!! But when I heard that Chaz Bono was going to be on, I was sick. Not that I have anything personally again her/him, I just don’t want that  lifestyle choice continually flaunted in the media esp ABC.”

“There are a few women in my office that are very much against having Chaz Bono on the show because he is transgendered.”

Because dance contestants are heterosexually paired with a professional dancer, some critics are concerned with which DWTS dancer Chaz is coupled.

“Chaz will have to dance with one of the girls because she/he says she/he is a man but chromosomes say different no matter how many surgeries you have.”

In the film, Becoming Chaz, a documentary about Chaz Bono’s female-to-male (FTM) gender reassignment that aired in May on  OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, the arduous trek of coming out as transgender was captured.

And the topic of male and female genitalia, not surprisingly, is always front and center in transphobic arguments.

“It’s just hard for me to get my head around that cute little blonde headed girl that belonged to Sonny and Cher now has a penis.”

Chaz told Winfrey that he doesn’t want male genitalia.

“At this point, I really don’t have any plans to do bottom surgery,” he said. “I feel really good, I feel like a man now, and I’m really happy.”

In his recent interview with ABC about being on DWTS, Chaz explained what being transgender meant to him.

“Transgendered people believe that their gender identity does not correspond to the one into which they were physically born. Many seek surgery or hormones to change their physical gender.”

Although the show is about getting high ratings by any means necessary, the shock of Chaz appearing in this upcoming season will be a teaching moment for its viewers.

“With both gay and transgender contestants represented on this upcoming season, ABC will send viewers a strong message about the diversity within the LGBT community,” said Herndon Graddick, senior of director of programs for GLAAD, in a statement. “At a time when transgender representation in the media is sorely lacking, Chaz Bono joining the cast is a tremendous step  forward for the public to recognize that transgender people are another wonderful part of the fabric of American culture. Appearing on such a high-profile show will allow millions of Americans to get to know him in a whole new light.”

The general public may not be aware that people who have had sex-change surgery, cross-dressers, and those who are gender non-conforming are often targets of violence and biases that force them to live in fear for their safety, and suffer the loss of their jobs and shelter.

The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an international event memorializing transgender people murdered because of their gender identities or gender expressions. The purpose of TDOR is to raise public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people and to honor their lives that might otherwise be forgotten.

This event is held every November honoring Rita Hester, a 34-year-old African American transsexual, who was found mysteriously murdered inside her first floor apartment outside of Boston on Nov. 28, 1998. The crime kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project.

Many transgender people, because of transphobia and anti-trans violence in this society, feel most comfortable moving about their lives out of the view of the general public. In urban enclaves known for their gang violence, crimes against transgender people often go unnoticed or are seen as lesser crimes.

Many parents of transgender children worry and for sound reasons.

When we see Cher―gay icon nonpareil― in the documentary not as celebratoryabout Chaz’s transition as his close friends and girlfriend, Jenny, are, it’s unnerving. But Cher, in my opinion, comes across more as a frightened parent than as an insensitive transphobic. Worried about the toil it will take―physically and mentally―on Chaz to endure ongoing male hormone shots for the rest of his life Cher, still using the female pronoun, states, “I’m afraid she’s not going to be healthy, I’m afraid it’s too much for her.” Cher is a lucky parent. Her child is alive, well and will soon be flaunting his fancy footwork on “Dancing with the Stars.”

But Rita’s mother exemplifies the unknown hurt and quiet grief a myriad of parents endure, which is why we have TDOR. I won’t soon forget the vigil we held for Rita in 1998, because I am still haunted by the words of Hester’s mother:

“I would have gladly died for you, Rita. I would have taken the stabs and told you to run. I loved you.”

With what has now amounted to a tsunami of criticism for having Chaz in this season’s lineup, I applaud “Dancing with the Stars” for unwavering, and Chaz for stepping out.