JAMES EDSTROM SPEAKS ON OUTING SINGER CHERS LESBIAN DAUGHTER CHASTITY BONO

Cher

Singer Cher is to counsel closeted gays and lesbians in a new reality TV series. The Believe singer will team up with lesbian daughter Chastity (right) to front Coming Out With Cher and Chas, according to reports. The mother and daughter duo will advise those struggling to tell their parents and friends they are gay. It’s a drastic turn-around for Cher, who allegedly balked when she learned her daughter was a lesbian, and booked her into therapy. Chastity was outed by Times Square Gossip editor James Edstrom after he attended a show at New York City's 'Cat Club'. The reason for the outing was that Edstrom was asked to check his camera when he arrived at the club by Cher's Lawyer and record people and when Edstrom finished watching Chastity performing with her girlfriend and picked up his camera, Cher's people had destroyed the film in the camera that had photos of Kathleen Turners rehearsal for "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof', that Edstrom had taken for Turner's hubby Jay Weiss. When Edstrom approached Cher's people, they threatened him and admitted they destroyed the film in the camera and said that they should have smashed the camera too. A argument happened outside the club between Edstrom and Cher's Lawyer with Edstrom yelling that he carries pockets of film and taking one roll won't prevent him from getting any shots. As Edstrom re-loaded his camera, Chastity and the girlfriend walked out the club door and Edstrom snapped the shot. Cher's lawyer chased Edstrom down the street, demanding the film but Edstrom pushed him away and jumped into a taxi and disappeared into the night.
Editors Note: I never intended to out anyone. Cher's people were buying me drinks and we exchanged phone numbers. They pretended they were my friend. Meanwhile they destroyed film that had no pictures of the two lesbian lovers. They humiliated me,they threatened me. I was new in the business. The last thing that was on my mind was outing anyone. I just wanted to have a good time. I watched the weird show with Chastity and her girlfriend dressed like Sonny and Cher singing songs to each other. I sold the photo for $500. to Star magazine and when looking back on the everything, the picture was worth at least $50 thousand, as Cher was huge back then. I was young and stupid and did not know the value of the picture. I went on A Current Affair and also did a huge Page Six story. Years later when Chastity wrote her book, she said the tabloids set her up. This was not the case. I was and continue to be the nicest photographer in the business. There was no excuse for Cher's people to do what they did. Chastity then went on Oprah and continued to tell the story on how she was set up by a horrible photographer. The blame lies with Cher's Lawyer and Publicist at the time. I watched in horror as Chastity told Oprah that I set her up. I did nothing wrong. I never intended to out anyone, but I was not going to let anyone steal from me and to treat me so bad when I was so nice and honest. If anything, Cher and Chastity owe me a apology, even after all these years. That was my first bad run-in with a celebrity. Though many more followed over the years, Chastity always stuck in my mind because I never intended to out her or anyone !