According to a recent episode of Jazz Jennings’ TLC show “I Am Jazz,” Jazz expressed his struggles with feeling broken and unable to be his true self, stating, “I just want to feel like myself, like that’s it. I don’t care…All I want is to be happy and feel like me, and I don’t feel like me, ever.”
This is not the first time Jazz has faced health problems related to gender transition. In 2018, Jazz underwent a penile inversion vaginoplasty that required multiple corrective surgeries and left him with greatly diminished sexual function. Jazz’s surgeon, Marci Bowers, has since criticized the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s standards of care for children, arguing that they make it difficult for doctors to perform successful surgeries later on.
Watch The Interview With Jeanette Jennings
In response to these difficulties, Jazz’s mother, Jeanette, has maintained that her child’s happiness has been her top priority. In a recent interview with People magazine, she stated, “We want Jazz to be happy and healthy and find love and acceptance…That’s all we ever wanted for our child.”
Despite these intentions, some have criticized Jeanette and her husband for allowing Jazz to undergo a gender transition at a young age. Abigail Shrier, author of “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” has argued that the rush to transition young children can have harmful effects on their mental and physical health. Jazz’s own struggles with depression and binge eating may be evidence of this.
However, Jeanette has pushed back against these criticisms, arguing that Jazz’s gender identity was clear from a young age. As she explained to People, “When we would go shopping for clothing, Jazz always gravitated to dresses and anything girly. It was just natural. It was who he was.”
Ultimately, the situation with Jazz Jennings highlights the complex and controversial nature of gender transition, particularly when it comes to children. As Jeanette Jennings has stated, “We love Jazz…We just want to support him and help him to be who he
