ALL THAT JAZZ

We chat to a young transgender star about her reality show

She’s a YouTube sensation, TV personality and LGBTQ rights activist – all at the age of just 17! Jazz Jennings exploded on to the screen when she was six, in an interview with Barbara Walters about being a transgender child. She’s since landed her own reality show, with season three about to drop in New Zealand.

What do people love most about your show?

It’s really fascinating for most people because they haven’t been introduced to a transgender person and haven’t seen the experiences that we go through. People really get to see I’m just a person like everyone else and I do normal teenage things.

How do you manage life in the spotlight?

It’s really hard for me because I don’t really like attention or even social media – I barely post on there. It’s all so weird for me knowing that people look up to me and when fans come up and ask for pictures, it’s so crazy. It’s overwhelming, but I really appreciate the love and support. Fifty years ago, transgender people weren’t accepted the way we are now.

How was it going from YouTube to a TV show?

In 2006, we first did an interview with Barbara Walters on 20/20 and that was the first time I shared my story. When I started public speaking and my YouTube, that’s when my advocacy came into fruition. Then we were approached by a production company – putting my whole life out there for the public, it’s a hard thing to do. But there needed to be more trans visibility and people needed to hear this story.

What kind of reaction do you get from fans out on the streets?

Most people just ask for a photo, but sometimes people will come up and be really emotional and say I saved their lives. They were thinking about committing suicide, but then they saw the show and heard my story. They had someone to identify with and they realised they were transgender. That’s what keeps me going.