America's most-famous transgender man will be lacing up his dance shoes this fall.
Chaz Bono, the only child of Sonny and Cher, has signed onto the season 13 cast of "Dancing with the Stars," set to air Sept. 19 on ABC.
Bono joins a cast that includes HLN's Nancy Grace and Carson Kressley, the gay stylist best-known for his role on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
LGBT groups have hailed the news as a milestone in transgender representation on TV. GLAAD praised ABC for including both a transgender and a gay man on the show this season.
"At a time when transgender representation in the media is sorely lacking, Chaz Bono joining the cast of a series like Dancing With the Stars is a tremendous step forward for the public to recognize that transgender people are an important part of the fabric of American culture," said Herndon Graddick, senior director of programs at GLAAD, in a news statement."
GLAAD also noted that ABC received a "good" rating on its annual Network Responsibility Index, which ranks television networks on their portrayals of LGBT characters.
Bono becomes the third transgender character on mainstream TV currently. Transgender fashion model Isis King will re-appear in the upcoming season of "America's Next Top Model" while Jordan Todosey continues to play a transgender boy on "Degrassi." According to GLAAD, two episodes of "Hung" will also feature a transgender character this year.
Bono will be dancing with Lacey Schwimmer, who has appeared on past seasons and was a finalist on "So You Think You Can Dance."
The announcement of Bono's participation has drawn sharp criticism from some who accused ABC pushing LGBT issues in the face of viewers.
Message boards on ABC.com quickly filled with transphobic tirades after the announcement. Some fans said that Bono's participation would discourage them from watching the show. Others simply complained this season's entire cast which includes David Arquette and "The Hills" reality star Kristin Cavallari was not star-worthy.
Still, Twitter feeds from Bono fans and LGBT groups are abuzz with excitement over the news, congratulating Bono and commending ABC.
"Keep your chin up Chaz Bono," one person wrote. "And don't let these folks get you down."
