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TLC's new program "I Am Jazz"


Laurie
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Have you seen this program?

 

I watched the first episode to see how transgender issues would be presented when a young teen like Jazz is involved (she'll be starting high school).   I'm not sure whether I'll watch future episodes though.  It really bothered me when Jazz talked about how boys are "discriminating" against her...they flirt with her female friends, but not with her.  She believes that the boys won't pay attention to her in the same way because they don't want others to think they're gay.  So she wants attention from boys and calls it discrimination because so far none have been willing to flirt and show any kind of attraction to her.   I realize that this is very complicated, but wouldn't the other boys have to be homosexual or bisexual to be in a romantic relationship with Jazz?   She still has male anatomy even if she's taking estrogen and dresses as a female.  

 

Her parents say they want her to be happy, and they've taken her to a doctor for hormone-blocking treatment and now estrogen therapy.  The episode showed a doctor visit and discussion of surgical options.  Right now, Jazz says she isn't ready to consider surgery.  

 

What happens when parents and doctors are supporting someone like Jazz with  medical treatments,  but then she's hurt when most teen boys will not be attracted to a transgender girl?   It seems like these boys are going to be presented as bullies/bad guys.   The preview for the next episode shows Jazz and her friends at a bowling party.  Jazz is upset because only one boy is there, and she puts him on the spot by asking if the other boys didn't come because she's transgender.   She's clearly interested in boys and wants a boyfriend...it's sad to me that her parents, siblings, grandparents, and doctor are all behind the treatments, but what is supposed to happen to Jazz emotionally if she has such a limited choice of future mates?   Or are we going in the direction of some kind of heterosexual "shaming" with this talk of discrimination?   I can't blame any boy for not wanting to be part of this tv show!

 

There was one scene in the show when Jazz and her mother are at a restaurant and two boys walk by and say "tranny freak".  I'm not excusing this kind of bullying/harassment at all.  I'm just annoyed that Jazz has already started saying that she's being discriminated against by the other boys because they aren't interested in flirting with her/dating her. 

 

 

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I didn't see it, but I saw the previews. 

 

The boys in the class are entitled to decide if this is a dealbreaker for them or not.  You've got to know that some people are just not going to consider you a girl when they know you are a boy because they grew up with you.    As the years go by, this will be less of an issue, I am sure. 

 

I agree that meanness and name-calling is completely uncalled for, and should not be tolerated by anyone toward anyone. 

Knowing TLC, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they staged it. 

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I think it is horrible that Jazz's parents are exploiting her in this way. Oh, I'm sure they claim it is all about raising awareness and helping other transgendered teens, but I believe it is nothing more than their way of making money and becoming famous.

 

Don't even get me started on what I think of TLC for doing a show like this. :glare:

 

If Jazz was older and a college student, I might feel differently about it because she would be an adult and it would be her own choice to do the show, and she would be more prepared to deal with the publicity and the intensity of the comments and reviews on social media. At her current age, I can't imagine this being good for her on an emotional or psychological level.

 

I feel very sorry for her.

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I think to call that discrimination is a bit ridiculous and I hope her parents talk to her about that.  I'm sure TLC airs whatever it thinks will bring the most controversy. 

 

I think the limited specials done on transgender kids have been valuable.  A whole reality series?  Too much.  Kids should not have to grow up and make all their mistakes and show all their quirks on air.  I've said it about every single reality series that has kids. 

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Have you seen this program?

 

I watched the first episode to see how transgender issues would be presented when a young teen like Jazz is involved (she'll be starting high school). I'm not sure whether I'll watch future episodes though. It really bothered me when Jazz talked about how boys are "discriminating" against her...they flirt with her female friends, but not with her. She believes that the boys won't pay attention to her in the same way because they don't want others to think they're gay. So she wants attention from boys and calls it discrimination because so far none have been willing to flirt and show any kind of attraction to her. I realize that this is very complicated, but wouldn't the other boys have to be homosexual or bisexual to be in a romantic relationship with Jazz? She still has male anatomy even if she's taking estrogen and dresses as a female.

 

Her parents say they want her to be happy, and they've taken her to a doctor for hormone-blocking treatment and now estrogen therapy. The episode showed a doctor visit and discussion of surgical options. Right now, Jazz says she isn't ready to consider surgery.

 

What happens when parents and doctors are supporting someone like Jazz with medical treatments, but then she's hurt when most teen boys will not be attracted to a transgender girl? It seems like these boys are going to be presented as bullies/bad guys. The preview for the next episode shows Jazz and her friends at a bowling party. Jazz is upset because only one boy is there, and she puts him on the spot by asking if the other boys didn't come because she's transgender. She's clearly interested in boys and wants a boyfriend...it's sad to me that her parents, siblings, grandparents, and doctor are all behind the treatments, but what is supposed to happen to Jazz emotionally if she has such a limited choice of future mates? Or are we going in the direction of some kind of heterosexual "shaming" with this talk of discrimination? I can't blame any boy for not wanting to be part of this tv show!

 

There was one scene in the show when Jazz and her mother are at a restaurant and two boys walk by and say "tranny freak". I'm not excusing this kind of bullying/harassment at all. I'm just annoyed that Jazz has already started saying that she's being discriminated against by the other boys because they aren't interested in flirting with her/dating her.

It is certainly not discrimination, unless you define discrimination as the ability to discriminate between a person you would want to date and a person you would not want to date. It is not discrimination to decide you don't want to date a particular person. Those same boys might very well want to be friends with Jazz, but have no interest in her on a romantic level, and I think it is absurd that she should expect the boys to flirt with her and want to date her when she is still physically a male. She may view herself as 100% female, but if her body parts don't match that description, it makes sense that straight teenage boys won't have a sexual interest in her.

 

I think her parents and therapists need to be very honest and realistic with her about what she can expect from the boys, and not to act as though the boys have some sort of problem or that they are discriminating against her, or that they are horrible people because they don't want to date a girl who has a p***s instead of a v****a. She is going to have a rough road ahead of her, and I think she needs to be counseled on how to accept the fact that most straight boys aren't going to want to date her, no matter how pretty she is or how nice she is. I hope she finds a nice boy who will accept her as she is, but it may take a while, and I feel sad for her that she feels isolated in that aspect of her life. It can be very hard to be different from the other kids, particularly at her age.

 

As far as the "tranny freak" comment, I am certain it was staged. Typical TLC weasel tactics.

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I think it is horrible that Jazz's parents are exploiting her in this way. Oh, I'm sure they claim it is all about raising awareness and helping other transgendered teens, but I believe it is nothing more than their way of making money and becoming famous.

 

Don't even get me started on what I think of TLC for doing a show like this. :glare:

 

If Jazz was older and a college student, I might feel differently about it because she would be an adult and it would be her own choice to do the show, and she would be more prepared to deal with the publicity and the intensity of the comments and reviews on social media. At her current age, I can't imagine this being good for her on an emotional or psychological level.

 

I feel very sorry for her.

Yeah, I don't like the exploitation aspect either.  But of course, it is all for ratings, and I'm sure the family is compensated, so maybe they wanted to do it.    But still, it would be better if it didn't deal with a minor. 

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Boys can decide who they flirt with.  They know she was a boy and it's okay if they don't want to flirt with her or date her.  It's not discrimination any more than it's discrimination for a boy not to flirt with the nerdy girl or the sporty girl or whatever girl they are not into.  I definitely wouldn't put it past TLC to have staged the rudeness.

 

My daughter was in the magnet program with a FtoM transgender.  He was very much living as a girl at the beginning of the school year.  In January he began living as a boy.  He told the kids before Christmas break what he would be doing and what his new name would be.  He was a sophomore or junior at the time.  Everyone was actually pretty cool with it.  He didn't have problems finding girls willing to flirt with him as he transitioned.  He had a couple girlfriends.

 

That was real life.  I'm sure TLC could have made it all much more dramatic than it really was.

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I think it is horrible that Jazz's parents are exploiting her in this way. Oh, I'm sure they claim it is all about raising awareness and helping other transgendered teens, but I believe it is nothing more than their way of making money and becoming famous.

 

Don't even get me started on what I think of TLC for doing a show like this. :glare:

 

If Jazz was older and a college student, I might feel differently about it because she would be an adult and it would be her own choice to do the show, and she would be more prepared to deal with the publicity and the intensity of the comments and reviews on social media. At her current age, I can't imagine this being good for her on an emotional or psychological level.

 

I feel very sorry for her.

I think this is a horribly, horribly exploitative idea for a show. There is a very high tendency towards suicide in the transgender community. I can't imagine having your teen years with transgender difficulties aired for the world to see. Gah. This is NOT the path to helping raise awareness of transgender people.

 

I hate that despicable channel more every day.

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It is certainly not discrimination, unless you define discrimination as the ability to discriminate between a person you would want to date and a person you would not want to date. It is not discrimination to decide you don't want to date a particular person. Those same boys might very well want to be friends with Jazz, but have no interest in her on a romantic level, and I think it is absurd that she should expect the boys to flirt with her and want to date her when she is still physically a male. She may view herself as 100% female, but if her body parts don't match that description, it makes sense that straight teenage boys won't have a sexual interest in her.

 

I think her parents and therapists need to be very honest and realistic with her about what she can expect from the boys, and not to act as though the boys have some sort of problem or that they are discriminating against her, or that they are horrible people because they don't want to date a girl who has a p***s instead of a v****a. She is going to have a rough road ahead of her, and I think she needs to be counseled on how to accept the fact that most straight boys aren't going to want to date her, no matter how pretty she is or how nice she is. I hope she finds a nice boy who will accept her as she is, but it may take a while, and I feel sad for her that she feels isolated in that aspect of her life. It can be very hard to be different from the other kids, particularly at her age.

 

As far as the "tranny freak" comment, I am certain it was staged. Typical TLC weasel tactics.

 

I agree.  Having a son the same age, he is interested in social justice and throws around some vocabulary like "racism" or "sexism" that doesn't apply to every situation he applies it to.  Kids this age are learning about the world around them and sometimes don't correctly identify injustice.  I remember having a friend in high school who was raised with one much older sister.  So many of her interactions with boys were a problem for her.  I was raised with a brother and 90% of goofy teen boy behavoir rolled off my back and didn't bother me at all.  Just because Jazz uses the word "discrimination" and it was filmed does not mean it's an idea that therapists or her parents are promoting in her.  AGAIN, she shouldn't have to learn these things while having every cast off word aired for the masses.  Adolescence is a TERRIBLE age for any kid to have to live their life in the public eye let alone one that is transgendered.

 

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I think this is a horribly, horribly exploitative idea for a show. There is a very high tendency towards suicide in the transgender community. I can't imagine having your teen years with transgender difficulties aired for the world to see. Gah. This is NOT the path to helping raise awareness of transgender people.

 

I hate that despicable channel more every day.

I worry about that, too. Even the most confident adult would be hurt by a barrage of negative comments on social media and in response to articles written about them. Poor Jazz is still a kid, and she knows she is different from the other girls, so the nasty comments are bound to hit her hard. It seems pretty clear that she wants to fit in and be viewed as a "normal" girl, but how can that happen when she is the star of a TV show about what it's like to be the transgendered kid? TLC certainly isn't going to focus on how she is just a nice normal kid, because there are no ratings in nice and normal. They are going to look for controversy. They will not hesitate to exploit her.

 

I also keep thinking of Jazz going online and reading the comments about how she is a freak or how she isn't pretty or whatever, and how the exposure to that level of vitriol will affect her self-confidence and her emotional and psychological health. She is already going through so much more than the average teen by being a girl living in a boy's body, and adding the tremendous stresses involved with having that TV show on top of the emotional conflicts in her everyday life sounds like a very dangerous thing to do to her.

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Did I hear right on the commercial that she's 14?  Transgendered or not, do we really have to pair them up and have the worries, anxieties, and pressures of relationships already?  *sigh*  It's hard enough being a kid, you know?

 

We knew this type of show was coming and aren't surprised at all that it's TLC doing it.  I just feel sorry for the inevitable pressures Jazz is going to feel.  Not to mention her parents who, like very other parents in the world, are pretty much just doing the best they can with what they've got.  Imagine trying to be the poster parent for how to do this?  Daunting.

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Every person gets to decide who s/he wants to date.  It isn't unusual at all for a person Jazz's age to not be romantically interesting to guys or girls.  And being in a minority sexuality population is naturally going to limit the field.  Is that really a surprise?  If I lived on an island where I was the only heterosexual, I wouldn't get any dates either.  Sexual attraction, chemistry, etc. can't be rationed or legislated.

 

I agree that this was a bad idea for reality TV.  But then, I think reality TV is a bad idea period, so ....

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Did I hear right on the commercial that she's 14? Transgendered or not, do we really have to pair them up and have the worries, anxieties, and pressures of relationships already? *sigh* It's hard enough being a kid, you know?

 

We knew this type of show was coming and aren't surprised at all that it's TLC doing it. I just feel sorry for the inevitable pressures Jazz is going to feel. Not to mention her parents who, like very other parents in the world, are pretty much just doing the best they can with what they've got. Imagine trying to be the poster parent for how to do this? Daunting.

Well, her parents could have refused to exploit their child and told TLC to find some other kid to put on television instead of Jazz. If they are being shown as the poster parents for how to help a transgendered teen, it was entirely their own doing.

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Somewhat off topic, but yesterday my kid was watching West Side Story.  She asked me whether Anybodys was a boy or girl.  So I gave my first short explanation of transexual youth.  Unfortunately, Anybodys didn't fit in anywhere.  Yes, it is sad.

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I think it is horrible that Jazz's parents are exploiting her in this way. Oh, I'm sure they claim it is all about raising awareness and helping other transgendered teens, but I believe it is nothing more than their way of making money and becoming famous.

 

Don't even get me started on what I think of TLC for doing a show like this. :glare:

 

If Jazz was older and a college student, I might feel differently about it because she would be an adult and it would be her own choice to do the show, and she would be more prepared to deal with the publicity and the intensity of the comments and reviews on social media. At her current age, I can't imagine this being good for her on an emotional or psychological level.

 

I feel very sorry for her.

My first thought was that as a parent I would never put my kids on TV. Not emotionally a healthy thing IMHO.

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Terminology check: Transgender isn't a matter of sexuality or sexual orientation, but of gender identity. There is NO overlap.

I assumed she simply meant that Jazz may have a more difficult time finding people to date because she is transgendered, rather than being more traditionally straight, bi, or gay. She wants to date straight boys, but straight boys may not be interested in her on a romantic level because from a purely technical viewpoint, she is not physically a girl.

 

Her gender identity is valid, but that doesn't mean that because she knows she is female, the boys in her school will view her as female, particularly because she has not surgically transitioned from male to female. I could be mistaken, but I think that was what SKL was talking about.

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:)

 

I know what she meant, I was just making sure we're all clear on the words. I know that transgender issues are unfamiliar to many people (I didn't realize exactly how strange my social group is until I checked the stats, but apparently only .5% of the population openly identifies as transgender! I'm pretty sure more than .5% of my friends are trans, so I'm not sure what happened there) so lots of people are unsure what they're talking about.

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Did I hear right on the commercial that she's 14?  Transgendered or not, do we really have to pair them up and have the worries, anxieties, and pressures of relationships already?  *sigh*  It's hard enough being a kid, you know?

 

That's pretty much what my 15 year old daughter said.  Teens are in such a rush to pair up and declare their sexuality before they have really figured themselves out sometimes (for example, one of my daughter's friends decided she must be asexual because she wasn't attracted sexually, at 14, to males or females... fast forward a year and she realized she is heterosexual and really likes guys, but at 14 there was so much pressure to declare your sexuality she felt like she had to pick something).

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I've read criticisms leveled at lesbians who don't want to date pre operative trans women as well. I get that from a trans woman's perspective, it's a tough situation to be in, but no one owes anyone else dates, or flirting. No one is required to consider you a potential romantic partner. Everyone has their turn off and turn ons. I do think it's wrong to paint these boys in a negative light for not wanting to flirt with her. Boys that age are trying to grow up and figure things out as well. It's a difficult and confusing time for kids who aren't dealing with gender identity issues.

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I think this is a horribly, horribly exploitative idea for a show. There is a very high tendency towards suicide in the transgender community. I can't imagine having your teen years with transgender difficulties aired for the world to see. Gah. This is NOT the path to helping raise awareness of transgender people.

 

I hate that despicable channel more every day.

 

Any of these shows!  It would be far better IMHO, to have adults who have dealt with whatever issue it is, talking about what they went through as a youth, and the best ways they can think of to cope, etc....

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I did not watch the show, but I did hear a piece on NPR about it. The reviewer said that Jazz has actually been an outspoken advocate for transgendered people for years and that the show is disingenuous for not revealing that fact. I checked online, and she first went on tv in 2007, has an active YouTube account, and has co-founded both a foundation and a company related to transgendered issues. The reviewer was bothered by the fact that the show presents her as more like a kid with an unusual problem instead of the outspoken advocate that she is.

 

This puts a different spin on the question of whether her family and the television network are exploiting her, I think. I suspect she knows exactly what she is doing.

 

ETA: I personally think it's not a great idea to air personal issues on national tv, so I'm not suggesting that the show is okay. Just wanted to point out that Jazz is an experienced advocate, even at a young age.

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Yeah, I don't like the exploitation aspect either.  But of course, it is all for ratings, and I'm sure the family is compensated, so maybe they wanted to do it.    But still, it would be better if it didn't deal with a minor. 

 

 It would be interesting to know how much money people can make.   (I've enjoyed several of these types of shows that feature families, except for Honey Boo Boo!)  

 

 

 

 

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I did not watch the show, but I did hear a piece on NPR about it. The reviewer said that Jazz has actually been an outspoken advocate for transgendered people for years and that the show is disingenuous for not revealing that fact. I checked online, and she first went on tv in 2007, has an active YouTube account, and has co-founded both a foundation and a company related to transgendered issues. The reviewer was bothered by the fact that the show presents her as more like a kid with an unusual problem instead of the outspoken advocate that she is.

 

This puts a different spin on the question of whether her family and the television network are exploiting her, I think. I suspect she knows exactly what she is doing.

 

ETA: I personally think it's not a great idea to air personal issues on national tv, so I'm not suggesting that the show is okay. Just wanted to point out that Jazz is an experienced advocate, even at a young age.

Well, her parents started putting her on TV when she was only 6 years old to talk about being transgendered, so I still believe that Jazz has been exploited by her mom and dad since she was a very young child. My opinion is that the parents have been "outspoken advocates" since Jazz was a very young child but I'm not sure that Jazz was really capable of deciding for herself that she wanted to be one as well when she was only 6 years old -- and that is only when she was first on television; we don't know exactly when her parents started trying to present her story and trot her out to the media. I don't think a little kid should be put in that position. I also don't know if Jazz really wants to be some sort of national spokesmodel for being transgendered, or if it has been a way of life for her for so many years due to parental pressure and conditioning that she doesn't know any other way of life.

 

I hope I'm wrong about the parents. I also hope that they have spent as much time and effort on getting professional psychological help for Jazz as they have on trying to make her famous. It just seems like this girl has been thrust into the spotlight for so long that I worry that her public advocacy may have been her parents' decision and not her own. It wouldn't be the first time parents have used their adorable kids to gain publicity or money. (Jon and Kate Plus 8, the Duggar family, the balloon boy's family, and pretty much every other family who has put their kids on a TV reality show.)

 

Above all, I hope Jazz is happy and that she is truly onboard with all of this.

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I did not watch the show, but I did hear a piece on NPR about it. The reviewer said that Jazz has actually been an outspoken advocate for transgendered people for years and that the show is disingenuous for not revealing that fact. I checked online, and she first went on tv in 2007, has an active YouTube account, and has co-founded both a foundation and a company related to transgendered issues. The reviewer was bothered by the fact that the show presents her as more like a kid with an unusual problem instead of the outspoken advocate that she is.

 

This puts a different spin on the question of whether her family and the television network are exploiting her, I think. I suspect she knows exactly what she is doing.

 

ETA: I personally think it's not a great idea to air personal issues on national tv, so I'm not suggesting that the show is okay. Just wanted to point out that Jazz is an experienced advocate, even at a young age.

 

Is the show only going to be about Jazz? I thought it was going to be about different transgender youth.  Maybe I misunderstood.

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As far as I can tell, the show is about Jazz specifically.

 

Catwoman, I agree with you. I think parents are responsible for media exposure of their children, and that even if it is what the child wants, it is not necessarily what is best. Young children are not able to understand the long-term implications of publicizing private business. I think that Jazz and her family are fully on board with putting their life out there for public scrutiny, but I don't think it is wise.

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There is nothing that could possess me to watch this show. The only reason kids get exploited and put on TV is because we are willing to watch. Without an audience to sell ads with, there is no show, at least not for long. So no way, no how am I willing to watch.

 

So blame TLC and blame the parents.

 

But don't forget to blame the viewers.

 

If one finds this exploitative and watches it, they are participating in the exploitation.

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Well, her parents started putting her on TV when she was only 6 years old to talk about being transgendered, so I still believe that Jazz has been exploited by her mom and dad since she was a very young child. My opinion is that the parents have been "outspoken advocates" since Jazz was a very young child but I'm not sure that Jazz was really capable of deciding for herself that she wanted to be one as well when she was only 6 years old -- and that is only when she was first on television; we don't know exactly when her parents started trying to present her story and trot her out to the media. I don't think a little kid should be put in that position. I also don't know if Jazz really wants to be some sort of national spokesmodel for being transgendered, or if it has been a way of life for her for so many years due to parental pressure and conditioning that she doesn't know any other way of life.

 

 

I'm still troubled by what happened when she was taken to a dr. at age 3.    According to Jazz, the dr. held up two anatomically-correct dolls and asked her to point to the one that's like you, so she pointed to the male doll, and then she was told to point to the one you'd like to be so she pointed to the female doll.   It just doesn't seem right to me to do that to such a young child and then have the parents continue to  reinforce  this at home.  I didn't know that she was only 6 when she started her public career!

 

Jazz's mother even used words like "experiment" and "guinea pig" when talking about the treatments Jazz is receiving.  And it's sad to me that Jazz and others so young have to deal with the pressure of a biological clock and whether or not to stop puberty, etc.       

 

 

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Either way, I bet most of her friends feel as awkward about something as she does.  It's an awkward time.  It's upsetting to her because she feels like a female.  She wants to be accepted as a female. 

 

High school will be a hard time.  She'll find someone.  I believe there is someone for everyone.  In high school a lot of kids are concerned with putting themselves in a position of being picked on.  Kids often feel like they lead the lives of famous people and everyone in the world will know their details.  We don't realize it's not quite like that until we leave that. 

 

 

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I would never put my kid in that position because I value my privacy very much.  However, not all people see it that way.  I think some parents do it because they want to attempt to normalize it by having people get comfortable with it.  How else will that happen if some people are not willing to put themselves out there like that?  So for that I admire them.  is it the right thing to do?  I have no idea, but I don't look down on them for it.

 

 

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Well and practically speaking they may be doing it for the money. Treatments for this are insanely expensive and insurance does not cover them.

I paid out of pocket for many of my brother's transition costs. It is doable without being wealthy or going on TV.

 

There are a growing number of companies that include treatment and therapy for transgendered employees and dependents on their health plans. My brother's husband's employer is not on this list, but does cover ongoing costs for my brother (like HRT).

 

http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/corporate-equality-index-list-of-businesses-with-transgender-inclusive-heal

 

Also, if I had a trans child, I would move heaven and earth to send him or her to a positive high school environment for LGBTQ teens rather than just expecting it all to turn out ok at a regular high school. While I know we have come a long ways, what happened to Brandon Teena still weighs heavily on my mind. That definitely affects how I see publicity. There's a lot of nutcases out there. No need to expand the number of such people who know about my family.

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Well, her parents could have refused to exploit their child and told TLC to find some other kid to put on television instead of Jazz. If they are being shown as the poster parents for how to help a transgendered teen, it was entirely their own doing.

Oh exactly.  I can't imagine putting myself in that position, much less my child!

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I paid out of pocket for many of my brother's transition costs. It is doable without being wealthy or going on TV.

 

There are a growing number of companies that include treatment and therapy for transgendered employees and dependents on their health plans. My brother's husband's employer is not on this list, but does cover ongoing costs for my brother (like HRT).

 

http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/corporate-equality-index-list-of-businesses-with-transgender-inclusive-heal

 

Also, if I had a trans child, I would move heaven and earth to send him or her to a positive high school environment for LGBTQ teens rather than just expecting it all to turn out ok at a regular high school. While I know we have come a long ways, what happened to Brandon Teena still weighs heavily on my mind. That definitely affects how I see publicity. There's a lot of nutcases out there. No need to expand the number of such people who know about my family.

 

My husband's company is on the list.

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I would never put my kid in that position because I value my privacy very much.  However, not all people see it that way.  I think some parents do it because they want to attempt to normalize it by having people get comfortable with it.  How else will that happen if some people are not willing to put themselves out there like that?  So for that I admire them.  is it the right thing to do?  I have no idea, but I don't look down on them for it.

 

I wouldn't do it either and I think there are real issues to be considered about the exploitative nature of reality TV for everyone regardless of whether they're dancing kids or evangelical Christian kids or trans kids, but people often say that anything you do that puts your kids more at risk is wrong or bad parenting and I think it's fair to weigh this stuff too. I'm glad that black parents in the Civil Rights movement sent their kids to desegregate schools. I'm glad the Meitevs fought the state of Maryland tooth and nail to get them to call the police off of every kid playing alone. Basically I'm glad that occasionally people let their kids fight battles.

 

This is a good battle... I'm just not sure if this one is a good way... But if they feel the work they're doing is that important and she agrees, then I don't think it's any worse than any other kid on reality TV.

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I wouldn't do it either and I think there are real issues to be considered about the exploitative nature of reality TV for everyone regardless of whether they're dancing kids or evangelical Christian kids or trans kids, but people often say that anything you do that puts your kids more at risk is wrong or bad parenting and I think it's fair to weigh this stuff too. I'm glad that black parents in the Civil Rights movement sent their kids to desegregate schools. I'm glad the Meitevs fought the state of Maryland tooth and nail to get them to call the police off of every kid playing alone. Basically I'm glad that occasionally people let their kids fight battles.

 

This is a good battle... I'm just not sure if this one is a good way... But if they feel the work they're doing is that important and she agrees, then I don't think it's any worse than any other kid on reality TV.

 

She seems to want to do this.  I am sure that was a big factor.  I say never in a million years, but I've never been in the position to have to decide something like that. 

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Well, her parents started putting her on TV when she was only 6 years old to talk about being transgendered, so I still believe that Jazz has been exploited by her mom and dad since she was a very young child. My opinion is that the parents have been "outspoken advocates" since Jazz was a very young child but I'm not sure that Jazz was really capable of deciding for herself that she wanted to be one as well when she was only 6 years old -- and that is only when she was first on television; we don't know exactly when her parents started trying to present her story and trot her out to the media. I don't think a little kid should be put in that position. I also don't know if Jazz really wants to be some sort of national spokesmodel for being transgendered, or if it has been a way of life for her for so many years due to parental pressure and conditioning that she doesn't know any other way of life.

 

I hope I'm wrong about the parents. I also hope that they have spent as much time and effort on getting professional psychological help for Jazz as they have on trying to make her famous. It just seems like this girl has been thrust into the spotlight for so long that I worry that her public advocacy may have been her parents' decision and not her own. It wouldn't be the first time parents have used their adorable kids to gain publicity or money. (Jon and Kate Plus 8, the Duggar family, the balloon boy's family, and pretty much every other family who has put their kids on a TV reality show.)

 

Above all, I hope Jazz is happy and that she is truly onboard with all of this.

Good Lord.  Age 6?  I hadn't heard that. 

 

That's appalling.  And yeah, that is parental activism there, if they started so early.   

 

No wonder kids are so screwed up today. 

 

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I am strongly opposed to parents exploiting their children on television.  I believe that any of the reality shows (but especially TLC reality shows) are all exploitative.  Hence, I won't be watching and other than my disapproval of her parents' choices to exploit her, I have no opinion one way or the other about the girl in question.

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