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Transition Radio Industries September 2012
Transition Radio Industries September 2012
12 year old Jazz was born a boy but from the moment she could expresses herself she never acted like a typical boy. Jazz was always very feminine and drawn to all things, pretty, sparkly, pink and girlish. She loved barbie dolls and was obsessed with mermaids.
From the time she could crawl, you could almost always find her with a barbie or mermaid doll clutched in her right hand. At first we thought it was a cute phase, but Jazz kept saying she was a girl….not that she liked being girlish, but that she was a girl. She would get angry when we referred to her as a boy. When Jazz was 2 years old she stated that she wanted the good fairy to use her magic wand to change her penis into a vagina, and by 3 she wanted her name changed to Sparkles. In our minds, this went beyond the boundaries of a phase. We consulted with our pediatrician about this behavior, and she suggested we go to a specialist. When Jazz was 3 she was diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder (GID), meaning our "son" was transgender.
After researching everything we could about transkids (and there were hardly any resources back then), we were devastated to learn about the pain surrounding children like Jazz. Close to 50% of transyouth will attempt to commit suicide before they are 20. With odds like that, we weren't taking any chances with our child's life. With guidance from our doctors, we were told to support Jazz and follow her lead. By age 5, it was obvious that it was becoming unbearable for Jazz to continue living as a boy; so during her last year of pre-school we allowed our baby boy to transition and begin living life as the little girl she was born to be.
When Jazz was 6 we appeared on ABC's 20/20. "My Secret Self" with Barbara Walters aired on April 27th, 2007. At the time, Jazz was the youngest transgender child to appear on national television. Hearts and minds were opened to the the hardships, discrimination, bullying and extreme pain that transyouth endure on a daily basis. Parents of gender non-conforming youth from all over the world realized that they were not alone. Suddenly, other kids began stepping out of their shadows to be accepted by their families and communities.
From the time she could crawl, you could almost always find her with a barbie or mermaid doll clutched in her right hand. At first we thought it was a cute phase, but Jazz kept saying she was a girl….not that she liked being girlish, but that she was a girl. She would get angry when we referred to her as a boy. When Jazz was 2 years old she stated that she wanted the good fairy to use her magic wand to change her penis into a vagina, and by 3 she wanted her name changed to Sparkles. In our minds, this went beyond the boundaries of a phase. We consulted with our pediatrician about this behavior, and she suggested we go to a specialist. When Jazz was 3 she was diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder (GID), meaning our "son" was transgender.
After researching everything we could about transkids (and there were hardly any resources back then), we were devastated to learn about the pain surrounding children like Jazz. Close to 50% of transyouth will attempt to commit suicide before they are 20. With odds like that, we weren't taking any chances with our child's life. With guidance from our doctors, we were told to support Jazz and follow her lead. By age 5, it was obvious that it was becoming unbearable for Jazz to continue living as a boy; so during her last year of pre-school we allowed our baby boy to transition and begin living life as the little girl she was born to be.
When Jazz was 6 we appeared on ABC's 20/20. "My Secret Self" with Barbara Walters aired on April 27th, 2007. At the time, Jazz was the youngest transgender child to appear on national television. Hearts and minds were opened to the the hardships, discrimination, bullying and extreme pain that transyouth endure on a daily basis. Parents of gender non-conforming youth from all over the world realized that they were not alone. Suddenly, other kids began stepping out of their shadows to be accepted by their families and communities.
JAZZ AND JEANETTE
ABOUT JAZZ AND JEANETTE
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