Chaz Bono, the child of entertainers Sonny and Cher whose transformation from female to male made worldwide headlines, will visit the area next month for a lecture at Northwest Missouri State.

The lecture is scheduled March 7 at 7 p.m. at the Charles Johnson Theater in the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building.

It is free and open to the public; tickets are available at the Student Services Center located on the first floor of the Administration Building.

Bono came out publicly as a lesbian in a 1995 interview with The Advocate, the national gay and lesbian news magazine. That decision prompted his public work in support of rights and social justice for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) rights and social justice.

He has written three books including “Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man,” a ground-breaking and candid account of a 40-year struggle to match his gender identity with his physical body and his transformation from female to male.

His first documentary, “Becoming Chaz,” received a standing ovation at its Sundance debut, was nominated for three prime-time Emmy Awards and premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network in May 2011. His follow-up, “Being Chaz,” chronicles Bono as he embraced his new life and prepared for his appearance on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” last fall, amid controversy and threats to his life over his decision to participate in the show.

Chaz began his public speaking career in 1995, as the keynote speaker at the annual fundraising event for the Mautner Project, the national lesbian health organization. He has spoken at numerous LGBTQ events for other national organizations such as The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). He has also served as a featured speaker at Gay Pride events in cities all across the country.

At Northwest, Bono will share his personal journey of attaining sobriety, gaining acceptance from his family and proceeding with his transition in the public eye. He speaks about a range of LGBTQ issues related to marriage equality, portrayals in the media, the workplace, politics, transgender equality, transgender youth, and the physical and emotional process of hormonal and surgical transition.