Being transgender is more than just medical books and everything, procedures. It's something spiritual in which you're finding yourself and really discovering who you are and learning to love yourself.
— Jazz Jennings
Having such a supportive family has really shaped the person that I am today.
If someone says something hurtful to you or makes you feel down on yourself, then you just gotta stay positive and keep moving forward because they might not know much about you, or they may not understand the situation.
I'd like to think I'm funny.
I definitely secretly dream of being a mermaid.
If people are going to judge me without fully understanding the content of my character, then their opinion just isn't worth it.
I definitely think it's important to share my process when it comes to the bottom surgery, because that information really isn't out there.
If someone is judging you without knowing the content of your character, don't listen to them.
I know, for me, when I was depressed, I didn't want to talk to my friends at all when I was depressed. If they tried to help me, I would kind of back away from them.
I've always loved mermaids!
A lot of insurance companies don't protect transgender people because they think it's medically unnecessary, but we deserve to be covered, and this is life-saving treatment.
For transgender kids who are struggling, I want them to know they're not alone. They shouldn't be afraid to step out of their shadows.
Being transgender has completely turned boys off from liking me.
Being transgender isn't a medical transition. It's a process of learning to love yourself for who you are.
I feel really honored to be part of The #seetherealme campaign. It's really amazing, as it helps many teen girls who are struggling. It helps them to find themselves and be true to who they are.
I really just want to spread my love and happiness toward other people.
As I got older, I learned about how some people treated their transgender children, and I was shocked. I couldn't understand how someone would leave their child and throw them on the street. I was always taught you give your kid unconditional love and if you don't, something's wrong with you, for real.
In the end, everyone just deserves the right to be their authentic selves, just be who they are.
I always say I want to leave this world in a better state than when I arrived, and I continue to live by that message. So I'm going to do what I can to make the world a better place but also just make sure that I'm happy as well.
The only opinion that really affects me is my own opinion of myself because I determine the way I am, not anyone else.
I think we should have unisex bathrooms.
Mermaids are just the most whimsical, mystical creatures of all time.
Hormone blockers changed and saved my life.
If you don't have the love and support of your family, you need to find someone out there who you can confide in and share your concerns and worries with. And someone who can lift your spirits and make you feel valuable and strong and powerful.
On every single picture on my Instagram page, you'll find a negative comment. My supporters will normally stand up to that hateful person, and then it will become a big argument, and it's just a lot. I try to tell myself not to listen to the haters, and I try not to read the comments because it's not worth it.
I think that a lot of people don't understand how much discrimination transgender people actually face. They think that we're just kind of saying it to put it out there and get sympathy, but that's not true at all.
I think that's important - that transgender individuals are just like everyone else. We have our interests, our hobbies, our things we like to do. And people have to understand that.
Haters are our ammunition. They motivate us to continue fighting for our rights. That's why I continue to share my story.
From the moment I could express myself, I acted like a stereotypical girl and insisted that I was a girl. I wasn't just a boy who liked girly things - I knew I was a girl.
I define myself.
'I Am Jazz' was more for children to understand what it means to be transgender, but with 'Being Jazz,' I wanted to get the universal message across that we are all just people, and we have to live our lives authentically.
I'm definitely going to make sure that I just continue to live my life authentically.
I don't really care what people think of me.
I'm the youngest of four siblings and the baby of the family. My family just treated me like anyone else growing up. They taught me that everyone has a special and unique trait about them, and that mine is that I have a girl brain and a boy body.
It's so important to look out for your child and protect them.
Just like everyone else, I'm not perfect; I go through challenges as well.
I'm just attracted to people for who they are on the inside.
It's something you're born with, and you realize that you're trapped in the wrong body. It's not like one day you're like, 'I want to be transgender!'
I look at people for their souls, and I can see myself falling in love with anyone after getting to know them and developing a relationship.
I was never a boy. I always was a girl in my heart, and although I was presented as a boy to the public, inside I was feminine. It was OK to be that because that's just who I was, and I can't change that. I was born that way.
GLAAD has so much information and outlets about LGBTQ people and some of the issues we face and who we are.
I definitely think when I'm feeling super down or having tantrums or not able to participate in any activities, I have to control myself. I have to tell myself, 'No, focus, focus, focus, do this, do this, do this.' Instead of shutting down, I encourage myself to think positively and move towards the light.
Kids can be annoying. Especially teenagers - oh my gosh. They can be cruel.
I want it to be that transgender is normal. Let us live our lives. Let us be happy. The world will be a better place when we have that freedom. I think I'm going to be alive to see it.
Bathrooms have always been a big issue in my life. My parents fought for me to be able to enroll in elementary school as a girl, which I did. But I still would not be allowed to use the girls' room under any condition.
There are so few books for little kids that actually mention the word transgender and explain what it is in simple terms.
I wish everything was gender neutral. I wish we weren't separated by boundaries like pink and blue and little things like that. I wish we could choose how we express ourselves without hate.
My family has always provided me unconditional love and support.
I think I've been able to find happiness, and I've learned to love myself. That's a huge accomplishment for anyone, learning to love yourself.
I share my story to help other people. I know people need someone to be a role model and help them along the way.
