Jazz Jennings has many claims to fame, but she’s a transgender teenage girl who’s famous around the world.
She’s been recognized with multiple awards from various LGBT rights organizations, not only for her work as an advocate but for her role as a role model and vocal LGBT presence.
In addition to having her own reality series and YouTube channel, Jazz has a solid social media presence.
Not so long ago, it was over social media that more people became aware of Jazz Jennings, after Duggar son-in-law Derick Dillard said some very unkind things about Jazz on Twitter.
This earned Derick Dillard the ire of plenty of people, including his own fans.
But a lot of people are only newly aware of Jazz Jennings, so we put together a list of some basic information that you might want to know about Jazz.
No, we did not include her full list of honors and recognitions — she’s a teenager, but that would basically double the length of this list.
Because, seriously, she’s awesome.
Jazz Jennings is 16 years old
She was born October 6, 2000
She’s a YouTube personality, spokesmodel, TV personality, and activist
Her YouTube and TV roles often include her activism for LGBT+ rights
Jazz’s parents note that she was clear about being a girl as soon as she could speak
At first her parents put her in gender-neutral clothing, but she wanted to wear more gendered outfits.
She was of the youngest to be identified as trans
Though certainly not the youngest trans person, Jazz is perhaps the youngest trans person to become a public figure.
Jazz was born in South Florida to parents Greg and Jeannette
Jazz has three older siblings: a sister named Ari and two twin brothers named Sander and Griffen
“Jennings” is a pseudonym
Jazz’s family surname is “long and Jewish,” but obviously the pseudonym works as a small layer of protection
Jazz first entered the spotlight in 2007, at age SIX
Jazz was interviewed by Barbara Walters for 20/20; other high-profile appearances soon followed
Even though she was young, Jazz spoke so well
Jazz Jennings was noted by interviewers and audiences for how articulate she was despite her age and innocence
She helped found TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation
In 2007, Jazz was an honorary founder as her parents formed the foundation to assist transgender youth
Her YouTube channel is called “I Am Jazz”
Though Jazz only joined YouTube a few years ago (when she was old enough), her YouTube channel has 349,767 subscribers and her videos combined have nearly 15,000,000 views.
Her reality series is also called “I Am Jazz”
“I Am Jazz” airs on TLC, follows Jazz Jennings’ life as a trans teen girl as well as her role as an activist, and as of August 2017 is finishing up its third season.
There’s also been a documentary made about her
“I Am Jazz: A Family In Transition” aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network back in 2011
In 2014, Jazz came out as pansexual
Jazz has of course discussed nervousness about dating because she is trans and the world can be a cruel place, but she shared with her YouTube followers that she feels love and attraction regardless of a person’s gender