NEWSChaz Bono's 'Dancing With the Stars' Partner Lacey Schwimmer Speaks Out Against Haters
Sept. 1 2011, Published 6:14 a.m. ET
Dancing With the Stars pro Lacey Schwimmer has been paired up with Chaz Bono for Season 13 and it has come with some controversy. Chaz is the first transgender contestant on the show, but Lacey is defending her partner against the haters, calling it "ridiculous."
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"It's disappointing," Lacey told The Insider of all the haters. "No human is perfect, so why are they pointing out what they perceive to be an imperfection in someone else? It's not cool. We’re all taught not to bully or harass and treat everyone as equals, yet all these people are doing exactly the opposite."
But Lacey won't let the negative comments get her or her partner down.
"At the end of the day, everyone is going to have a hater. I choose not to listen to it, because it’s ridiculous," she said. "To us, it’s more important to focus on the positive people."
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So, what was her reaction to having Chaz as her partner?
"I was absolutely thrilled. I always have been a huge supporter of the LGBT community and I couldn’t be more excited to have Chaz," Lacey said. "Not only is he Sonny and Cher’s child, but he’s also a generally cool person."
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"This is my sixth season — the producers know that I’m very open-minded and really accepting of everyone," she explained. "Ever since Lance Bass was on the show, it opened the door for the LGBT community to be accepted in Middle America and it’s about time."
"It’s 2011, let’s evolve a little bit here."
