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Jazz Jennings: The new face of transgender youth

As the debate surrounding transgender children swirls, one girl is sharing her personal story in the hope that she can help others. By age 2, Jazz Jennings began to verbalize her feelings that "she was a girl," and by 5 she was one of the youngest people ever to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
By Yahoo! News · Updated on November 14, 2014
Jazz Jennings: The new face of transgender youth
Jazz Jennings
Jazz Jennings Yahoo! News

What defines gender? Is it biology, the heart and mind, or some combination of both? As the debate surrounding transgender children swirls, one girl is sharing her personal story in the hope that she can help others.

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By age 2, Jazz Jennings began to verbalize her feelings that “she was a girl,” and by 5 she was one of the youngest people ever to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Now, at 14, she has co-authored an illustrated memoir aimed at children called “I Am Jazz.” The book chronicles the early years of Jazz’s life, from her diagnosis to her struggles at school, and it’s not just for kids in the LGBTQ community but for anyone who feels like they don’t fit in.

Just weeks after being named one of Time magazine’s “25 Most Influential Teens of 2014,” Jazz sat down with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric to discuss the challenges she faced while growing up and the motivation behind her new book.

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