~Biografija~

Christian Chávez (born José Christian Chávez Garza on August 7, 1983 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico) is a singer and actor best known for his role as Giovanni Méndez López in the telenovela Rebelde and its spin off teen band RBD. After 2007, he has been open about his homosexuality.

Career

The success of Mexican telenovela Rebelde led to the band RBD, which is gaining success in the United States. Although Chávez became famous with Rebelde, he appeared in another popular telenovela, Clase 406 as Fercho along with his Rebelde co-stars Dulce María, Anahí, and Alfonso Herrera. In June 2007, he appeared briefly in the stage show "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar", and after May 2008 he participated in Avenida Q (the mexican version of Avenue Q), where he played the main puppet characters Eugenio(Princeton) and Rodri(Rod), and his presence was meant to be one of the box office attractions to the show. As of early October of 2008 it was confirmed that Christian would star alongside Dulce Maria in the next production of the RBD's creator, Pedro Damian.

[edit] Personal life

In early March 2007, a magazine published pictures of Chávez signing documents and exchanging rings with another man, allegedly his Canadian boyfriend, outing Chávez with them. The pictures had been taken in 2005, the year in which gay marriages became legal in Canada. Chávez declared in March 2007, that the photos showed a part of him that he had not been willing to discuss previously for fear of rejection, of criticism, and especially because of his family and the consequences that being gay would bring.[1][2]

On 30 March 2007, after Chávez's announcement of being gay, Ricky Martín told The Associated Press of his solidarity with Chávez's public declaration, saying, "Life is too short to live closed up, guarding what you say...(Chávez) has to be free in many aspects. I wish him much strength."[3]

In 2007 the singer was arrested for attempting to buy a marijuana cigarette in New York, he apologized for the event, and later his band mates made a statement giving him their support even though he had made a mistake.

In September 2007 Chavez was accused of being abusive to husband BJ Murphy. He denied the rumors as a "vile lie designed to hurt his career."[4]

In February 2008, Chávez fainted during an RBD concert in San Salvador, El Salvador. He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for dehydration.

Though he is outspoken in supporting gay rights and opposing homophobia, he has said that he doesn't want to be seen as the representative of the gay community. [5] However in June 2008, he appeared in the front page of a new Mexican gay magazine (OHM), where he exposed a more relaxed and mature position about those subjects in an interview.

[edit] Discography

[edit] With RBD

Spanish Studio Albums

1. Rebelde (2004)
2. Nuestro Amor (2005)b
3. Celestial (2006)
4. Empezar Desde Cero (2007)

English Studio Albums

1. Rebels (2006)

Portuguese Studio Albums

1. Rebelde (Edição Brasil) – Portuguese version of Rebelde (2005)
2. Nosso Amor Rebelde – Portuguese version of Nuestro Amor (2006)
3. Celestial (Versão Brasil) – Portuguese version of Celestial (2006)

Live Albums/DVDs

1. Tour Generación RBD En Vivo CD/DVD (2005)
2. Live In Hollywood CD/DVD (2006)
3. ¿Que Hay Detrás de RBD? (2006)
4. Live In Rio (2007)
5. Hecho En España CD/DVD (2007)

Rebelde DVDs

1. Rebelde: Primera Temporada (2006)
2. Rebelde: Segunda Temporada (2007)
3. Rebelde: Tercera Temporada (2007)

Compilations

1. RBD: La Familia (2007)

[edit] References

1. ^ Mexico rocked by gay pop-star
2. ^ Message from Christian Chavez on March 1st, 2007
3. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-People-Ricky-Martin.html "Ricky Martin Defends Gay Musicians"
4. ^ Christian Chávez niega haber abofeteado a su pareja : People en Español
5. ^ http://www.anodis.com/nota/11946.asp "No quiero ser standarte gay”, afirma Christian Chávez

[edit] External links

* Christian Chávez at the Internet Movie Database
* Official RBD Website
* RBD Forum in English