Re: Being Jazz: My Life As A (Transgender) Teen Jazz Jennings
Emmanuelle Riker
The surgery was also complicated by Jazz being at the forefront of so many medical options now available to transgender kids, like the hormone blockers and hormone therapy she said helped save her life.
Jazz Jennings is one of the youngest and most prominent voices in the national discussion about gender identity. At the age of five, Jazz transitioned to life as a girl, with the support of her parents. A year later her parents allowed her to share her incredible journey in her first Barbara Walters interview, aired at a time when the public was much less knowledgeable about or accepting of the transgender community. This groundbreaking interview was followed over the years by other high-profile interviews, a documentary, the launch of her YouTube channel, a picture book, and her own reality TV series, I Am Jazz, making her one of the most recognizable activists for transgender teens, children, and adults.
In her remarkable memoir, Jazz reflects on these very public experiences and how they have helped shape the mainstream attitude toward the transgender community. But it hasn't all been easy. Jazz has faced many challenges, bullying, discrimination, and rejection, yet she perseveres as she educates others about her life as a transgender teen. Through it all her family has been beside her on this journey, standing together against those who don't understand the true meaning of tolerance and unconditional love. Now Jazz must learn to navigate the physical, social, and emotional upheavals of adolescence - particularly high school - complicated by the unique challenges of being a transgender teen. Making the journey from girl to woman is never easy - especially when you began your life in a boy's body.
Jazz Jennings is only 19 years old, but she's already spent 13 years of her life in the spotlight. The YouTube star, spokesmodel, television personality, and trans rights activist first attracted national attention after her 2007 interview with Barbara Walters aired on 20/20. Since then, Jennings has made a name for herself as a transgender icon and advocate. From her series of YouTube videos to her TLC reality series, I Am Jazz, to her 2016 memoir, entitled Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen, the teen isn't shy about sharing her experiences. We've rounded up some of her most inspiring quotes of all time, because no matter how you identify, these are words everyone should hear.
Since being interviewed on ABC's "20/20" by Barbara Walters at age 6, Jazz Jennings has emerged as a leading advocate, role model and explainer for the transgender community. She wrote a children's book about her life. She makes heart-to-heart YouTube videos that get hundreds of thousands of views.
"People will really be able to see our story in the comfort of our own home and how we deal with not just the fact that I'm transgender," she added, "But also how I deal with the fact of being a teenager just going through my life."