Jazz Jennings is an American media personality and transgender activist. Jennings is one of the most notable transgender youth to make a gender transition as a minor.
Background
Jennings was born October 6, 2000 in Florida. Parents Jeanette and Greg have four children in total. The surname Jennings is a pseudonym they chose to help protect their family’s privacy.
In 2007, Jennings was interviewed on 20/20 by Barbara Walters, leading to national recognition and additional appearances. In 2015, Jennings was the subject of the reality show I Am Jazz.
Jennings graduated from Broward Virtual School in 2019. Jennings was accepted to Harvard University, but deferred enrollment until 2023 to deal with “mental health setbacks.”
Jennings is involved in TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, an organization the family founded to support trans youth.
References
Reischel, Julia (May 30, 2006). See Tom Be Jane. Village Voice https://www.villagevoice.com/see-tom-be-jane/
Goldberg, Alan B.; Adriano, Joneil (April 27, 2007). I’m a Girl: Understanding Transgender Children”. ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3088298
Menendez, Alicia; Redman, Meagan; Effron, Lauren (July 14, 2015). ‘I Am Jazz’: Transgender Teen on Grappling with High School, Puberty. ABC News
Mendenhall, Christina (June 25, 2015). Growing Up Transgender: Jazz Jennings. Miami Herald
Diaz, Johnny (October 2, 2019). South Florida trans teen Jazz Jennings delays start at Harvard University. Sun Sentinel
Galehouse, Maggie (September 15, 2014). Jazz Jennings shares story of her triumphs, struggles as a transgender child in ‘I Am Jazz’. Houston Chronicle
Rothaus, Steve (June 25, 2014). Jazz Jennings, a 13-year-old trans girl, reads from her upcoming children’s book (with video). Miami Herald
Feeney, Nolan (October 13, 2014). The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014. Time
Silver, Marc (July 13, 2015). ‘I Am Jazz’ is the latest in this summer’s transgender reality show boom. The Washington Post
Jensen, Erin (June 29, 2018). Jazz Jennings is all smiles after gender confirmation surgery. USA Today. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
Migdon, Brooke (November 3, 2021). Reality star Jazz Jennings opens up about mental health and weight gain in new season. The Hill
Resources
TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation (transkidspurplerainbow.org)
Purple Rainbow Tails (jazzmergirl.wix.com/purplerainbowtails) [archive]
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
IMDb (imdb.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
Twitter (twitter.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)