IT'S A MAN BABY!!

CHASTITY BONO IS BECOMING A MAN, BABY!!!

CHASTITY BONO . . . the daughter of CHER and the late SONNY BONO . . . is a man, baby!!! --Actually, she's not a man yet. But that's about to change . . . as are a few other critical things about Chastity.

You see, shortly after her 40th birthday in March, Chastity began the process of becoming an guy. Chastity has been a proud, out-of-the-closet lesbyterian since the early '90s.

Chastity's publicist has confirmed this AWESOME CRAZINESS. And he's already referring to Chastity with MALE PRONOUNS like "He" and "His". Oh, and Chastity also has a new, more masculine name . . . CHAZ!!!

Here's the statement from "Chaz's" rep . . . "Yes, it's true . . . Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity. --"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."

Not surprisingly, GLAAD is all over this. They issued a statement of their own, saying, "Chaz Bono's decision to live his life authentically represents an important step forward, both for him personally and for all who are committed to advancing discussions about fairness and equality for transgender people. --"Coming out as transgender is an extremely personal decision and one that is never made lightly."

No word yet from Cher. But Chaz's stepmother, Republican Congresswoman MARY BONO, said, she, quote, "loves and supports Chaz."

(--Here are some pictures of Chastity Bono . . . before she became . . . CHAZ . . .)