Jazz Jennings, the star of the TLC show I
Am Jazz, is a truly inspirational young woman.
Assigned male at birth, Jennings always knew
she was a girl and, at five years old, became
one of the youngest people to ever be diagnosed
with gender dysphoria.
Her family supported the kindergartener and
helped her transition.
Jennings grew out her hair, started wearing
dresses, and had her ears pierced.
Today, Jennings is using her platform to raise
awareness about transgender issues.
Here are some things you may not know about
the vibrant young star.
More than one thing
Through I Am Jazz, Jennings embraces her identity
and is happy to share her journey with the
world.
But as she told Dazed magazine, being transgender
is not what defines her.
In addition to being an athlete and an artist,
Jennings has served as a class office representative
and has been involved with her school's Gay-Straight
Alliance, as well as the Jewish Student Connection.
She explained,
"Being transgender is just one percent of
who I actually am.
I think that's important that transgender
individuals are just like everyone else.
[...] And people have to understand that."
First transgender doll
The work Jenning does to raise awareness about
the transgender community is groundbreaking.
In 2017, the very first transgender doll hit
the market, and it was modeled after Jennings.
She wrote in an Instagram post,
"I hope that it can place transgender people
in a positive light by showing that we are
just like all other people."
Since transgender people have often been negatively
or stereotypically portrayed in the media,
the decision to create a doll in her honor
is a huge step towards better representation.
Tonner Doll Company founder Robert Tonner
said in a statement,
"Jazz stands for everything I respect from
a human nature point of view.
She's incredibly brave, intelligent, warm-hearted,
and creative."
"If there's a kid out there that's struggling
with this and can go 'Well it can't be so
bad that they make a doll of the transgender
person,' that's pretty cool."
Behind the camera
Jennings' talents go far beyond appearing
on screen.
The teen has started learning about photography
and even branched out into making short films.
She told Dazed,
"I think in the future I might want to go
into the directing or movie-making business
because I love coming up with stories."
Jennings especially loves science fiction
and fantasy films.
If she ever becomes a director or screenwriter,
she says,
"I would definitely want to do smart sci-fi,
puzzle movies where people have to think and
connect the dots but then come up with their
own idea at the end."
Dealing with haters
If Jennings has proven one thing to the world
through I Am Jazz and beyond, it's that she's
a fierce individual who doesn't have time
for haters.
She told Teen Vogue,
"On every single picture on my Instagram page,
you'll find a negative comment."
"When it comes to bullying, overall it just
makes me feel a little bit upset that people
could be so hateful."
"I'm not gonna let some online bullying affect
me."
Jennings does her best to tune out the negativity,
and claims that it's not even worth it to
read the comments section of her social media
accounts.
She added,
"I'm not going to tolerate it.
In fact, it motivates me, because it shows
me that there is still more education that
needs to happen.
I will continue advocating for my community
until it's resolved, and the hate is gone."
Accomplished author
Jennings has already accomplished more than
most teenagers and she's extended her reach
to a wider audience through her writing.
She told Yahoo that she hopes her memoir,
Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen
will help other transgender teens.
She explained,
"I think being a teenager is a difficult journey
in and of itself, but being transgender makes
it that much harder.
I'm there to help them realize you just have
to love who you are no matter what and just
stay authentic."
The memoir isn't her first foray into writing,
either.
In 2014, she co-wrote I Am Jazz, a picture
book geared towards children.
Changing the world
Jennings is taking her I Am Jazz fame in stride
and already thinking about the impact her
work will have after she's gone.
She's not worried about making her mark on
the world, as long as she leaves it in better
shape.
She told HuffPost,
"It's not about me or my 'legacy,' but rather
the message and how it will live on.
[...] [My family] just want[s] the world to
be a better place for our community."
Jennings isn't 100% sure what she wants to
do in the future, but says that the most important
thing to her is:
"To continue helping other people no matter
what."
