Legendary entertainer Cher is speaking out for the first time about losing her daughter Chastity Bono — and gaining a son, Chaz.

Last week, Bono’s publicist confirmed that the daughter of Sonny & Cher has decided to undergo gender transition and become a man. At 40, Chastitiy is taking testosterone to alter body and voice and plans to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

“Chaz is embarking on a difficult journey, but one that I will support. I respect the courage it takes to go through this transition in the glare of public scrutiny, and although I may not understand, I will strive to be understanding. The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child,” the 63-year-old star — a devoted gay rights activist — said in a statement to PEOPLE Magazine on Wednesday.

As a teenager, Chastitiy Bono came out as a lesbian to a devastated Cher.

“As a kid, I thought I was a little boy,” Bono told gay interest magazine The Advocate in 1995.

Bono has been in a long-term relationship with 33-year-old graduate student Jennifer Elia since 2005.