16 year old Jazz Jennings, is an honorary co-founder of the Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation, an author, a tv personality, Youtube Vlogger, a youth ambassador for the Human Rights Campaign and a passionate transgender advocate. Jazz speaks at universities, medical schools, conferences, conventions and symposiums all over the country.
When she was six, Jazz appeared on 20/20 with Barbara Walters, as one of the youngest transgender children to appear in the media. Since then, she's been featured on a variety of major programs and news outlets, including a 20/20 update with Barbara Walters when she was 11, Katie Couric twice, Oprah: Where are the Now?, Dr. Drew, Nightline, Dateline, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, Dr. Oz, Time Magazine, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Huffington Post, Elle Magazine, the Rosie Show, The Meredith Vieira show, The View, an Oprah Winfrey Network documentary, "I am Jazz: A family in Transition" and many others. Jazz and her family now have their own GLAAD Award winning docs-series, “I Am Jazz,” on TLC. Jazz is the voice of Zadie the first animated transgender character in, Amazon’s, “Danger & Eggs”. Jazz's doll to be released in the summer of 2017.
Jazz is the youngest recipient of the Colin Higgins Youth Courage Award, the youngest person ever to be recognized in The Advocate Magazine’s, “Top Forty Under 40” annual list, OUT Magazine’s Top 100 list, the 2014 Trans100 list, and the youngest recipient of the 2014 Equality Florida's, "Voice for Equality" Award. Jazz was honored and recognized at the 2013 GLAAD Awards, where she got to meet former President Bill Clinton. Jazz is the recipient of LogoTV's 2014 youth Trailblazer Award. She was named as one of TIME Magazine's Most Influential Teens for 2014 and 2015. She is also listed on Huffington Post's 14 Most Fearless Teens of 2014. In 2016, Jazz was recognized on Teen Vogue’s 21 under 21 list. In March of 2105 Jazz and her family were the recipients of the Ackerman Institute's Gender & Family Project Award, and in May of 2015, Jazz received the Harvey Milk and Pride Center’s Diversity Honors Youth Award. In June of 2015, Jazz was invited to the White House where she met President Obama. In October of 2015 she was honored as Miss Teen Pride USA. Jazz is also the recipient of the 2015 TREVOR Youth Courage Award. In December of 2015, she was honored alongside Caitlyn Jenner at the, “Angels of Change” fundraiser through the LA Children’s Hospital. In April of 2016, Jazz was a featured inspirational speaker at WE Day which also featured Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Charlize Theron. The event was attended by over 16,000 students from Los Angeles area schools who earned their ticket by volunteering and service. Jazz is the recipient of Equality California's 2017 Equality Visibility Award and HRC's Youth Upstander Award for 2017.
In 2015, Jazz became one of the faces of Johnson & Johnson’s Clean and Clear Campaign: “See the Real” Me. Jazz served as the 2016 Grand Marshal in the New York City Heritage of Pride March. She is the youngest person to serve as Grand Marshal in the history of the march.
In 2014, Jazz co-wrote a children’s picture book with Jessica Herthel titled “I Am Jazz”, and is the author of her 2016 her memoir, “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen”.
Jazz is no stranger to discrimination. For 5 years she wasn’t allowed to use the girls restroom in her school. For 2 1/2 years Jazz was banned from girls’ soccer in her state. After a long battle, the United States Soccer Federation ordered her home state to lift the ban. As a result of the discrimination that Jazz was forced to endure, the USSF created a policy to include all transgender athletes who want to play soccer in the United States of America.
Jazz and her family continue to participate in many media projects with a goal to educate, and spread the message of tolerance and acceptance for all Transkids.
Currently, Jazz lives with her family of 6 in South Florida where she attends high school, and is the President of her GSA. Jazz loves to play soccer, binge watch TV on her laptop, hang with friends and is often found cuddling with her 4 cats.
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