I Am Jazz: Meaningful Reality TV

The TLC network is known for its wide array of trashy but often entertaining reality shows.  Little People Big World, My 600lb Life, 90 Day Fiancee, Sister Wives, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, I could go on and on.  Some, like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and 19 Kids and Counting, have also courted controversy over issues like child sexual assault, leading to their cancellations.  Several years ago, in the same summer that the E! network premiered I Am Cait, its reality series about Caitlin Jenner, the most well-known transgender person in the world, TLC quietly premiered its reality series about transgender teen and activist Jazz Jennings, called I Am Jazz.  While Jenner, with her sometimes conservative views and frequent foot-in-mouth public statements, is a polarizing figure, I would argue that Jennings is the true face of the transgender movement. 

I Am Jazz follows the life of Jennings, now 18 years old, who has asserted from a very young age that she is a girl, even though she was born a boy.  Her parents Jeanette and Greg made the controversial decision to block her development of male puberty, to allow her to live a convincing and happy life as a teenage girl.  And looking at her, you would never know that she is different from any other teen girl.  The show delves into all aspects of her life, including her friendships with other trans teens like JoJo and Noelle, dating, and her activism for the LGBTQ community.  It also follows Jazz's other family members, including her older sister Ari, older twin brothers Griffin and Sander, and mom Jeannette's parents Jack and Jackie, who must reconcile their conservative upbringing with supporting their trans granddaughter.  The current season is following the weeks leading up to and after Jazz's gender confirmation surgery, which took place last June.  The surgery is particularly unusual and risky, considering Jazz's young age and the fact that her puberty had been blocked.  With unexpected post-op complications and Jack's own simultaneous health crisis, the last few episodes have been more dramatic than any network or cable drama currently airing.

Whatever your thoughts or hesitations about watching a show about a transgender person, I would encourage everyone to check out this show to educate yourself and be entertained by a truly inspiring, interesting, and actually pretty average teen girl.  The show is understandably serious when it needs to be (it's tackling some heavy issues after all), but it also allows the Jennings family's goofiness and fun side to shine through.