Chastity Bono has decided to undergo a sex change. Chastity, the only daughter of Sonny Bono and Cher has been an out lesbian for almost 20 years and would like the world to call her, er, him Chaz now. She, er, he is in the early stages. He just turned 40.

more Chastity photos after the hop…

TMZ.com obtained this press release from Chaz’s publicist:

“Yes, it’s true — Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity,” confirmed Bono’s publicist, Howard Bragman. “He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his ‘coming out’ did nearly 20 years ago. We ask that the media respect Chaz’s privacy during this long process as he will not be doing any interviews at this time.”

Why is everyone call her a he already? Don’t we have to wait until the transformation is complete? And also — what does Cher think of all this?