I Am Jazz: Thoughts From A 23 Year Old Trans Guy

Since I Am Jazz premiered almost a week ago, I have been asked a few times what my thoughts on it are. I didn't watch it until this past Saturday (four days after the premier, we don't get TLC,) and to be honest, I wasn't all that impressed. I personally felt as though the tone of it felt very insincere and almost scripted. There were also a lot of things talked about that I just cringed at. For example, there was a ridiculous amount of talk about boys and basically how they will "never see past" the fact that she is transgender, which really bothers me.

First of all, yes teenage boys can be ridiculous, but I would be willing to bet that not every single one of them will brush her aside because of her gender identity. I myself know of plenty of high school aged kids who identify as pansexual or who generally speaking see the person rather than the gender. I think putting that type of talk on a national show regarding transgender teens can be quite damaging. Transgender people aren't barred from finding love, and teens watching that show don't need to think that they are. There are people out there who don't give a damn whether a person is transgender so long as they're a decent human being.

Now with that said, there has only been one episode. My hope is that the tone will move away from the negative aspects of being transgender and more towards how amazingly liberating it is to come out and show the world your true self, especially at her age. Her family seems great, but again it's hard to form a true opinion when everything seems so scripted. Her siblings are incredible though, no matter how scripted everything seemed; her brothers especially. My favorite part was when they said they were going to interview any guy who Jazz ended up dating. That was adorable!

If I had to give the show a rating from 1-10, I would probably give it a 6; a little better than being half way decent, but not by much. Now, am I surprised by the way it turned out? To be honest, no. I mean it is TLC, the same channel that produced the likes of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and 19 Kids and Counting (which thankfully have both been cancelled!) Given everything else that's on at the moment, I would say your best bet would be to watch Becoming Us on ABC Family. It is a much more sincere show, although it does have its negatives also (although it's mostly just Suzy.) Hell, I even think Orange is the New Black portrays what it's like to be transgender slightly better than either reality show, which is sad to be honest, (although maybe not that sad since Laverne Cox is transgender herself.)

I do think I Am Jazz has potential, and I'm not discrediting it at all. I think it's very important to get stories about young transgender individuals out there regardless of how poorly they're developed (in terms of how the story comes across.) Just having her be on TV is another step in the right direction towards transgender liberation in this country. For me, I'm holding out for I Am Cait (the similar titles kind of bug me though.) I love the way Caitlyn Jenner talks about everything she's gone through and is going through. Her interview with Diane Sawyer was beautiful, and her speech at the ESPYs was just incredible and made me that much more proud to be part of the transgender community. She has the potential to be a very powerful woman in the trans* rights movement, and the best part is, she knows it. I'm holding her show to a higher standard because of that. 

Whether or not I Am Jazz gets better, I don't think it'll do much to harm, if any, to the movement if it stays at its current tone. I'll report back if my thoughts on the show change after future episodes, but as for now, I'll leave you with this:

Jazz is a strong young girl who IS making a difference. I wish her all the best with everything she does. I personally just wish some other network had picked up her show before TLC got their hands on it.