Jazz: Previously
on "I Am Jazz"...
I signed us up for this scuba course.
With the kids up at
college, very rarely do
we ever just spend time as a family.
- [Laughs]
- Dad! Sorry.
Jeanette: On a scale of one to ,
with being somebody
super coordinated,
I'm like a . .
I'm on the search for
America's next top vagina.
I've always dreamed about
having this procedure done.
We don't have the raw materials we need.
I think they're going to
have a significant challenge
with creating your vaginal canal.
Jeanette: Where are we going?
How do we make our final decision?
We need to have another consultation.
It's not really the drag queens
they're worried about in North Carolina.
It's the creeps that will
use it to self-identify
as whatever gender will get
them closer to their victims.
I'm not overly ecstatic about
putting Jazz in the f*ring line
of a shock jock.
Hi, I'm Shane. It's nice to meet you.
Jazz, Shane is here.
Jazz: In the past, dating has always
been a weird, awkward situation.
Where'd she go?
With Shane, I feel like
I can just have a good
time and be myself.
We should do something again, sometime.
Yeah.
years ago, I was
assigned male at birth,
but inside, I always knew I was a girl.
I have a girl brain and a boy body.
Being transgender hasn't been easy...
This is definitely not,
like, a straightforward case.
I don't think you have any
option for vaginoplasty.
I had a lot of fun.
Have a great night.
- That sounds like a date.
- It's not a date!
...but it's made me who I am.
I am Jazz.
♪♪
[Indistinct] Yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Who's that coming through the door?
Oh! You're my number-one boy.
Does that mean the
date didn't go so well?
No, no.
So, the jumping thing.
The jumping thing?
- Was it fun?
- It was fun.
I still got it.
I may be slightly overweight,
but I can still do it.
[Chuckles]
And did you have fun with,
like, hanging out with Shane?
Yeah. It was fun.
Would you hang out with Shane again?
I don't know.
What?
Jazz, I don't understand you.
You go on a double date.
There's a guy that you
actually think is cute.
You really liked his personality,
and it's all about that.
Why would you say no?
I don't... know.
I don't know, Mom.
Jeanette: It's so
frustrating, for me, because
Jazz was really looking
forward to this date,
and she really liked Shane.
I was like, "what happened?"
I just want to know
where you're coming from
'cause I'm trying to figure you out
'cause I want to help you
in the love department,
but I can't if I can't figure you out.
Well, it's just that I'm kind of limited
in what I could do, currently.
I could have oral sex
with a male or a female,
or I could receive,
which also does not
sound appealing at all.
I don't have the body
of a biological female,
so I think that hinders me
because I feel uncomfortable
being in a sexual
relationship with someone
because I don't feel
comfortable with my own body.
Ah.
Jazz: I definitely am
interested in Shane,
but if someone that I like
is ready to have a relationship with me,
then I do feel like it's
kind of letting them down
that I'm not ready for sex yet.
That makes sense a lot.
That really makes sense.
You don't want to kind of put
yourself out there too much.
You don't want to take
it past a certain line.
It just limits my sexual options.
But just because you go
on a date with somebody
doesn't mean that it
has to be sexualized.
Jeanette: Jazz is putting
the cart before the horse.
She's worrying about the
next phase of relationships
and intimacy when, right now,
she's just on her first date,
so I just need her to slow down.
You could just kiss
somebody and snuggle.
And it doesn't have to go any further.
There are people that are virgins at .
You are ridiculous.
Jazz: I do want a sexual
relationship in the future,
and after all of these consultations,
I can't imagine myself having sex
without having a beautiful vagina.
♪♪
- Boo!
- Oh, hi!
- Hello.
- That scared me!
- Hi.
- How are you?
Jeanette: Jazz and I
are meeting with Jessica
to go over every possible scenario
before our debate
or conversation with Tomi Lahren.
We just want to make sure we're
prepared for this interview.
How have you been? I
haven't seen you in weeks.
Busy.
We're going to San Francisco
and then Texas with you,
and then we're going to
Key Largo, scuba diving.
What's in San Francisco?
San Francisco is Dr. Marci Bowers.
What is that a trip for?
Well, that is for a consult
for Jazz's bottom surgery.
Wow.
Before we began this whole process,
I wasn't sure what we were going to do.
I knew we were going to
go on a few consultations.
I wasn't sure how many,
but we've had three
different consultations,
and none of the doctors can
give Jazz the surgery she wants,
so we need a fourth consultation.
I'm so grateful that
you were able to squeeze
- in this Dallas trip.
- Right.
I mean, how do you feel about
going on the Tomi Lahren show?
I feel like it's really
important because her audience
hasn't been exposed to someone like me
who is transgender and our
perspective of the argument.
I hope that we can address
some of the things that she said
'cause they were very hurtful.
Hell, why don't we all just start
self-identifying for perks?
Tomorrow, I'll park
in a handicapped spot
and self-identify as
someone with disabilities
and the next day, maybe, get a spray tan
and self-identify as another race,
so I can reap those benefits, too.
I mean, was it a hard sell to
get your dad to agree to this?
Not too bad.
- Really?
- No, no.
Is he softening up over all these years?
You know what it is? She's held her own.
She's proven, in the past,
that she's got what it takes
to go up against somebody who's bigoted,
and with you by her side,
you know, being that you are...
Well, we'll both be there,
and we'll protect you.
Well... I don't think I'm gonna do it.
It's not because I'm afraid of Tomi.
It's because...
- Wait, did you know this?
- Yeah, I knew.
You didn't send me a warning
that this is happening?
This is her heart. This is who she is.
She's the transgender person.
I want her to talk
about her experiences.
I don't want to be like,
"when she was years old"...
Well, your experience is valuable.
Jeanette: There is a good reason
why I don't want to be there.
Jazz is the one who
is affected the most.
She's the one that's transgender,
and I want people to hear her voice.
As Jazz gets older,
people aren't going to be
as warm and fuzzy towards her
because she won't be a child anymore,
so she's gonna have to learn
how to put the boxing
gloves on and fight
for what she believes in.
Let's make sure we're... You and I,
now that your mom is
not going to be there...
That you and I are on the same page
in terms of what we
want to call Tomi out on.
Okay.
The disabled reference that she had,
that's completely making a joke
out of what it means to be transgender.
It's delegitimizing everything
that we've fought for,
like, our whole lives.
Yeah, or when she says,
"anyone can just dress up on
any given day and just decide
that they're a woman that day."
We need to address those, for sure.
Basically, this comes
down to what her opinion is
versus what the facts are.
Yeah. New reality of
just saying something
and having someone repeat it,
and at that point, it becomes
fact needs to be called out.
Right now, there's this
culture of no one really knowing
what the facts are or
knowing whom to believe.
There are so many different news sources
and so many different
voices speaking out
on these topics that,
if we allow the
misinformation to spread,
then it becomes harder
to debunk these myths
that spring up around kids like Jazz.
I hope that she listens
to what we say, though.
But even if Tomi doesn't
listen, her audience might.
Yeah. That's true.
You know, she can say,
"I think other people's
rights are more valuable,"
and then we would say,
"we're not asking for special rights
or extra rights. We're
asking for equal rights."
Just equal, equal.
What are you going to do if
Tomi becomes a little aggressive?
We could just stop, you know?
We could end it right then and there.
We could just take off our
mics, get up and be like,
"you know what? This is...
We're not going to dispute with you."
I have never really been on a show
where someone has completely
opposing opinions from myself,
but I think that a lot of people
don't really understand us,
and we're not gonna
create change in this world
unless we have direct
conversations with one another.
I mean, let's go into
it assuming the be...
We'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
I mean, why would she
invite us onto her show
if she wasn't willing to let us speak?
♪♪
♪♪
Knock, knock.
Hey, what are you doing?
You're supposed to be packing.
- Jazz.
- [Vocalizing]
He's not coming to San Francisco.
I don't even have a suitcase, though.
Ask Daddy to bring one in.
Dad, do you have my suitcase?
Greg: Which one is it?
The, like, hot-pink one.
Jeanette: I hope Dr. Marci
Bowers will look at Jazz and know
exactly what's best for her
and help us make a decision.
I just want you to know,
going into this consultation,
I really want it to be
the last consultation,
so we need to come to
some kind of decision,
after we meet with her.
Do you feel like you have all
the pieces to the puzzle, yet,
or you feel like you're
still lacking some?
No. I still feel like I'm not sure
what would be the most viable option.
Greg: We want the best for
her, but I also think it's time
to try to wrap this up.
Dr. Bowers has a great reputation,
and we've had three other consultations.
It's going to be difficult
to do the type of vaginoplasty
that you want.
Dr. McGinn: I prefer
standard vaginoplasty,
but I would like to do
the surgery in two parts.
I think, if you're going to surgeons
that only do penile-skin inversion,
I think they're going to
have a significant challenge
with creating your vaginal canal.
Just, it doesn't feel perfect yet.
You know what I mean?
Like, I feel like there's always...
The quest for the perfect vagina.
Jazz: I want a standard
vaginoplasty done
because it's what I've
always dreamt about,
so I'm hoping that Dr.
Marci Bowers provides
this miracle option and operation,
and then everything will be perfect,
but I don't know if
that's going to happen.
But what if Dr. Bowers doesn't
really give us any clarity,
and we're kind of even more confused?
I think we should go into
this with an open mind.
I don't want to say that we're not going
to have another consult,
but I'm hopeful that we'll
be able to draw a conclusion
after we meet with Dr. Bowers.
Jazz is the most important
decision-maker in this process
because it's Jazz's body.
We're here to support
her, but let's face it.
There's only so many
ways to do this procedure.
The blockers had their effect,
so you've already got a baby clitoris,
but to create an adequate vagina,
in terms of depth and diameter,
my suggestion would probably be...
♪♪
_
_
♪♪
We're at the airport,
getting ready for our flight,
heading to Dr. Marci Bowers.
San Francisco!
I'm super nervous and anxious.
I've gone through so many
different consultations
regarding the bottom surgery,
so I'm hoping that this
will be the last one.
♪♪
What's this?
Ooh.
Do not touch that 'cause
I'm sure it goes a little bit like this.
Is that a vagina light?
Yes, it's a vagina light.
- Knock, knock. -Hi.
- Hey. How are you?
I'm Marci Bowers, and I'm an ob/gyn
whose specialty is
treatment of gender dysphoria
and gender-confirmation surgery,
and in ,
I became the first woman
with a transgender history
to perform the surgery itself.
Okay. Well, we're here to talk about...
My vagina, my future vagina.
All right.
You know, she has gone
closer, where we live,
for some consults, but, you know,
it's almost confused us
'cause everybody sort of
has a different opinion
as the way to go with Jazz.
Okay.
You know, there's a
little bit of marketing,
a little bit of self-promotion.
There's a little bit of procedural bias.
There's a little bit of
experiential bias, you know,
and all that makes it very
confusing for patients.
Well, let me step out
and have you undress.
Okay.
Jazz: I already had three consultations,
and the doctors that I
went to said that getting
a standard vaginoplasty in one step
is not even an option.
- You ready?
- Yep.
Jazz: I'm really worried
that we traveled all this way
to hear the same thing.
Okay. Well, you're going
to be a challenge, darling.
Dr. Bowers: Jazz has
been puberty-blocked,
so the bad news is that the penis
is really, really small,
and it's really, really narrow,
so she doesn't have a lot
of tissue to work with.
- Come in.
- You're decent?
- Yes.
- Okay.
Okay, so the blockers had their effect,
so you've already got a baby clitoris,
but to create an adequate vagina,
in terms of depth and diameter,
my suggestion would probably be to use
the penile inversion plus a skin graft
from the lower abdomen.
Jeanette: How many times have you
had to take a graft from the abdomen?
It's . % of the time,
but it's still a significant number.
Is it typically one procedure?
We've done , surgeries.
Fewer than times have
we ever had to come back
for a second surgery.
Yay! I'm super excited because
no colons, no intestines,
just the standard vaginoplasty,
and that's what I've
always dreamt about.
So with depth, do you
think we could get to, like,
the , -inch range or maybe not.
Yeah, I think so.
You'll get enough that, you know,
it'll be reasonable, yeah.
Okay.
And have you figured out
who you're attracted to?
Kind of. I don't know.
Well, that's a very vague answer.
I think I'm... No, I would say
I'm still exploring my sexuality.
Yeah.
If I do pursue a male partner,
would it have to be someone
with a limited penis size?
No. We don't... You know, generally,
on first dates, people don't ask.
You know, they don't say,
"what's your erect penis size?"
You'd tend not to get second dates.
Well, I just don't want
my vagina to get damaged.
No, well, you don't...
We're more into being beautiful.
Well, let's just get
really graphic 'cause...
Well, what if it tears?
That's all I see in my
head, is, like, a big...
No, it's not gonna tear.
Obviously, I'm not expecting
it to be perfect, but I know...
No, I expect it
to be perfect, though.
Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Marci is really confident
that she can make this
a beautiful vagina,
and her confidence is
making me more comfortable.
So, you're hoping to
have surgery by when?
This has been a big
conversation amongst us.
So our options were either
between junior and senior year,
and then the other option was doing it
between high school and college
and just taking,
like, a one-year break.
Which one do you think
would probably be better?
I don't think it's
entirely for me to decide.
Yeah.
Jeanette: I would say do the
procedure before your senior year
because I don't think
she's the type of person
that should be taking any time off.
She's extremely bright,
but she suffers from
clinical depression,
so I think taking her out
of the academic setting
could be negative.
You know, healing takes a long time,
so once you're post-op,
it's going to be challenging.
Greg: I feel like the best time
is after she's done with high school.
However, I'm not d*ad
set on my conclusion.
If you can do it between
junior and senior year,
obviously, we're home,
we could take care of her,
and it will not negatively impact her,
so I'm conflicted.
So I was blocked before
I could experience, like,
- orgasms or ejaculations.
- Mm-hmm.
So afterwards, will I be
able to experience that?
You have had an orgasm?
No, never.
You need to have an
orgasm before surgery.
- I don't think I, like...
- You are required.
I'll write a prescription.
But I don't... Can I, or does it...
Yes.
I've never experienced an
orgasm, and to be honest,
I didn't know if it was possible.
Dr. Bowers: I'm guessing
Jazz chooses not to masturbate
or use that part of her body now
because she has dysphoria
about her genitalia.
I don't think she likes her genitals.
Masturbation is a really important thing
for lots of reasons.
One is to teach you the orgasm.
Two is to bring blood flow to the area,
but, three, it's also going
to stretch that skin out,
so you're actually going to
have more skin to work with
if you use it and have fun with it now.
I'll use it every day.
Just lock the door.
[Laughs]
- Jazz: Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
Jeanette. It's nice to meet you.
Tomi. So nice to meet you guys.
I'm going to slip right behind you.
All right. Slip on by.
Jazz: She doesn't want to
interact with me at all.
We're off to a bad start.
♪♪
Greg: You're so looking forward
to this trip, aren't you?
I was just going to say,
"I'm so not looking
forward to this trip."
Yeah. I'm not too excited about this.
Jeanette: We just got
home from San Francisco,
and now, I am packing
to go to Dallas, Texas,
to be on the Tomi Lahren
show, and it makes me nervous.
I don't like being in
confrontational situations.
I don't like putting
Jazz in those situations.
And you're not going to be
there, which really sucks.
Greg: I feel bad that I can't
go to do the Tomi Lahren show,
and I just hope that the hate
or the negatively is kept to a minimum.
You know, I look at Tomi as a mean girl,
as the kind of person
that does bully people.
I just want to make sure that
Jazz is not taken advantage of,
that she's not bullied.
I think you guys have to all be careful
about taking the low road.
Just because she does it
doesn't mean you have to do it,
and you also...
Well, I fall into that trap. They don't.
She's said some negative things,
but if she's having an interview,
and she's just having a conversation,
and she's being reasonable
during that conversation,
you know, you might want to
just stay within that context.
I think Tomi has ambitions,
and she will say a lot of things
that she may not
necessarily even agree with
to accomplish those objectives,
but I'm cautiously optimistic,
and I don't think she wants
to get into a shouting match
with a -year-old, or,
at least, I hope not.
♪♪
Ducks! Aah.
- Come over here!
- Hey, do not, no.
Okay. Okay.
- They're going to start...
- Now, they're going crazy.
They're going to start swarming, now.
Now, here they come.
Here, duck, duck. This
one is going crazy.
Ah! It got really close.
So close.
Oh! [Bleep]
- Did it hit you?
- No, almost did.
Jazz: There are birds
literally everywhere.
It's crazy!
Okay, fine, fine, fine, fine!
Oh, my god! Oh, my god!
I was like, "oh, my god."
Ducks, we're all out, got to go.
Shoo, shoo. Here, here they go.
Okay.
I just got as*ault
by a bunch of ducks.
Here they go. Okay, lovely.
So, what's going on in your life?
I do have my surgery
coming up for my blocker.
Well, how many implants
have you had before?
This is my second one.
You nervous? Are you excited,
or are you just, like,
"let's just get it over with."
I'm excited because, once I do that,
I'm getting a boost on my hormones.
Ooh, girl, that's what life is about.
I know there's a long road ahead of me,
and I know there's
still a lot to be done,
but being friends with
Jazz has taught me a lot
about just transitioning as a whole,
and I'm glad that we
can depend on each other
and care about each other.
There's a whole realness
factor where it's like,
"this is actually happening."
- Yeah.
- So...
I feel the same way about
my bottom surgery, you know?
What's going on with that?
So, I did go to Dr. Bowers,
and she could do the
procedure in one step,
while other doctors said
I would have to do multiple steps.
Now, the other thing I have to decide is
when I'm going to get
the operation done.
After talking about the surgery so much,
it just gives me so much anxiety,
so I do feel a sense
of urgency for myself
because waiting longer
only makes it harder.
Anyway, I'm doing that interview
with Tomi Lahren tomorrow.
How are you feeling about it?
I'm a little anxious because
I don't want to provide
opposition on the scene
because I don't want to create conflict.
I don't think conflict is
necessarily a bad thing.
It's something I feel is
everyone's responsibility.
If they see something that's bad,
they need to speak out against it.
She's preaching bad things,
and I feel like it's our duty
to disagree with her in
the loudest way possible.
Noelle: I appreciate that
Jazz wants to keep it cool,
but I do think, when
you're facing injustices,
you should speak out a little.
Well, if we just start
lashing out on her,
then that could paint
a bad picture for us.
You know what I mean?
Jazz: I really hope that I get
to say everything I want to say,
but anytime you're gonna talk to someone
who disagrees with you,
there's the potential for an argument,
and I'm a little bit nervous
that she's gonna go there.
♪♪
Jeanette: All right,
then. Let's do this.
Jazz: We are in Texas to
do the Tomi Lahren show.
- Hello.
- Hi.
And given Tomi's statements in
the past, I am almost certain
that she's going to disagree
with everything we have to say.
Jennifer: Hi, you guys.
- Hello.
- I'm Jennifer.
Hi, Jazz. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Jazz: But it's really important
that I get my message across
because it's my one and only
chance to reach an audience
that I usually can't access...
People who aren't accepting
of the transgender community.
Just really quick, I'll take
you on a quick little tour...
Just so you can see the studio
and just kind of see what we do here.
- Okay.
- Great.
And then, we'll put you in makeup.
- Okay, perfect.
- Oh, there's Tomi.
- Well, hello.
- Hi. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
- Jeanette.
- Tomi.
So nice to meet you guys.
I'm going to slip right behind you.
All right. Slip on by.
Bumping into Tomi, it's
a little bit awkward.
She's kind of like, "ah, I got
to go, got to go, dadadadada,"
and I feel like she's trying to rush by.
She doesn't want to
interact with me at all,
so we're off to a bad start.
So this used to be the old
Texas Walker Ranger studio.
Upstairs is where "the
Blaze" is, like, our show.
All of our shows are up there.
We have, I think, a
total of shows here.
- Oh, wow.
- Yeah.
And "the Blaze" is all
about freedom of thinking,
freedom of speech.
Tomi might be conservative,
but not all of us in here are.
Okay. That's good to know.
So, really, you're in friendly f*re.
Come on. Let's check it out.
Jeanette: It was very surreal,
based on all the memorabilia
and things hanging on the walls.
I was in a place that
I didn't belong in.
And I'll have you sit right
here for makeup and hair.
- Okay, perfect.
- Go ahead and have a seat.
- Thanks.
- Sure.
Jennifer: Thanks,
guys. Have a good show.
Thank you.
When I walk into the makeup room,
I see Tomi, again,
and, you know, it's a
little bit uncomfortable
because I feel like she's a bully.
She's a hater.
She's mean, so I just want her to leave,
and then I'll get my makeup done.
- Hey, Tomi, girl.
- What's up?
You got a hit time in
minutes, babe, with Matt Schlapp.
Jeanette: I'm definitely nervous
about not knowing what to expect.
This is new territory for
Jazz, but she's prepared.
She's done her homework,
and I'm confident
that Jazz could hold her own.
Hey, beauty queen.
- Jazz: Jessica!
- Hi.
- Mwah.
- Mwah.
Jessica: This is a
little bit terrifying.
We know that Tomi is capable of saying
some pretty hateful things,
but I don't want Jazz
to see that I'm nervous.
I want her to think that Jeanette and I
are totally cool and calm...
Jazz, you ready?
...so we're going to
continue to portray that
and hope that it's contagious.
Jazz: Just to clarify,
if I want to restate something
that I said, I could do that, right?
- Of course.
- Okay.
Walking onto set, I
am a little bit nervous
because I'm not sure
what to expect today.
I've never done
something like this before
where it's kind of a debate.
I've seen her videos, and
she's a little bit of a bulldog.
It's not really the drag queens
they're worried about in North Carolina.
It's the creeps that will
use it to self-identify
as whatever gender will get
them closer to their victims.
Those who are left are all about
feelings, while the rest of us
just don't want to get
r*ped in the bathroom.
You guys are going to be friends
by the end of this. Trust me.
- Hmm.
- Go ahead.
- That would be amazing.
- Thank you.
That's kind of a stretch.
Tomi makes fun of transgender people,
and it's insulting and hurtful.
I think Jennifer is just
trying to make it all rainbows
and unicorns and butterflies and,
[high-pitched] "Everything is
going to be great. Don't worry.
You guys will be friends for life."
[Deep voice] Not going to happen.
- Is Mom joining us all, too?
- Mom is not joining.
Jessica: Mom is just
going to be off camera.
Jennifer: Do you want to
sit with me on the stairs?
That's kind of where I
sit. It's the best view.
Just somewhere where Jazz can see me.
[Clears throat]
Hey, Tomi.
Hey, Jazz. This is Tomi.
- Tomi, this is Jazz.
- Hello.
- So nice to meet you.
- Nice to formally meet you.
- Exactly.
- And this is Jessica.
- Hi, Jessica.
- Jessica, this is Tomi.
- Nice to meet you.
- Oh, my goodness.
I was envying your outfit from afar.
I think we're going to learn a lot
about each other through this.
I don't know if you've
seen my stuff online,
but folks tend to think
that I'm very aggressive.
I'm the least aggressive
person you'll meet.
Jeanette: Maybe, her definition
of aggressive is different
than the rest of the world's.
- Good to go?
- Yep.
Man: Stand by. Here we go
in five, four, three, two, one.
Man # : Cast two.
Man: Stand by. Here we go
in five, four, three, two, one.
Man # : Cast two.
I'm excited to have you here.
I'm excited to have
both of you ladies here.
I think that we have
misconceptions about each other.
I think we don't have
conversations with each other,
if we perceive we're so different,
but at the end of the
day, we're human beings,
and we all want to be loved,
and we all want to belong.
But for me, my biggest
question for you is,
what does people like
me, people on the right,
what do we get wrong
about your lifestyle
or your way of life?
Okay, well, I think one
of the major misconceptions
is that a lot of you
guys think it's a choice
or that one day, I woke up and decided
I wanted to be a girl,
and that's not true.
I was born this way.
As soon as I had verbal expression,
I was stating that I was a girl.
I get it.
If you feel that you're
a woman, I get it.
But why do you have to
surgically change yourself?
So, personally, I just feel
uncomfortable in my body,
the same way you would feel
uncomfortable in your body
if you had the wrong genitals,
and for me, I completely
have a girl mind and brain
and express myself as a woman,
and when my body doesn't match that,
I feel like I'm trapped.
I'm trapped in the wrong skin.
You know, if the surgery, operation
is going to make me happy,
then that's all that matters.
Well, now, I will say this.
I have to have an honest
moment with myself and say,
"listen, I sit here as a conservative,
as a republican," and I
say, "limited government."
I say, "do as you want."
I just don't want to pay
for it. I will say that.
That feeds right into
how strongly I feel
about the Bathroom Bills.
I think we have common
ground in the sense that you
and I don't want a government overreach.
Government agents
standing outside bathrooms,
looking at people's birth
certificates or asking
for a physical inspection
feels to me very intrusive
and the opposite of what I would assume
that conservatives would want.
Jessica: I really wanted
to hold her accountable
for some of the language she's used
'cause I'm pretty sure you
described transgender people
as drag queens or sexual predators
trying to get closer to their victims.
You know, and I want to talk
about that because I feel
as though there are
individuals, sick individuals,
that are going to take
advantage of someone,
and then they're going to use the guise
as being transgender to do it.
It's just mythology.
The states that have
inclusive laws around their bathrooms
have zero incidents of any as*ault,
so the fact is there isn't
a basis for this fear.
I'm still someone that
says, "I think it opens up
a can of worms."
But the reality is Jazz is
the most unsafe person in a restroom.
If I had to use the men's
restroom, imagine, you know,
the harm that does to me.
When I was in my early
years at elementary school,
I was not allowed to
use the girls' bathroom.
I had to use the nurse's bathroom,
and even at that young age,
I wondered why I was
being treated differently,
and in second grade, I actually
snuck into the girls' bathroom,
and I got in trouble.
Were people calling you a pervert?
No, not at all.
- I was just doing my...
- You weren't,
but when they saw you going
into the women's restroom,
is that the feelings that they got?
I was a second grader who looked
very innocent with pigtails.
I do not think I was a pervert, at all.
But do you think that
you got that reaction?
Do you think that's why
they couldn't understand?
You think that they felt
like it was a safety issue?
I'm just trying to understand.
Jazz: This isn't about sexual predators.
We're discussing equal rights,
and there is no right and wrong,
and I don't know how you
could disagree with that.
I know you're not old
enough to vote yet.
But how do you feel
about the next four years?
You know, I don't want to live my life
in fear of being judged by someone
who doesn't even understand
the content of my character,
and if I couldn't be my authentic self,
like I am today, and, you
know, expressing myself
as a woman and being proud of who I am,
then I probably wouldn't even be here.
Authenticity is something
that we have in common.
That's what I like to say.
People say, "speak the truth.
Tell the truth," whatever.
I say, "stand in your truth."
But, you know, thank you guys
for having the conversation.
You know, it's not always
an easy one to have.
But, you know, thanks for
being here, truly, truly.
Thank you so much for being here.
While I don't know if
Tomi came full circle,
I know that some of her audience
members are going to watch this
and be like, "you know what?
Transgender people do
deserve equal treatment
and acceptance in society."
I feel like I toughened
up my skin a little bit
and had to muster up
a little bit of courage
in order to face someone like Tomi
who I knew was going to
have an opposing opinion.
Okay. I feel like, off
camera, Tomi is probably like,
"oh, I'm wrong."
- But...
- I mean, she was
very different than what we've seen.
It's very hard to be
that confrontational
when you're
face-to-face with a kid.
Jessica: I did think that Tomi
went home and still felt that
"traditionally-minded
people," as she called them,
are entitled to demand restrooms
the way they used to be.
I don't think we changed
her mind on that issue.
This could have gone a
hundred different ways.
Maybe, we could have been a
little more confrontational.
There were certain things
that we wanted to call her out
for saying, but in the moment,
it felt that here was Tomi,
extending an olive branch to us,
and why kick the bear?
But you know what? Her
viewers are watching this
and they're listening and
they're hearing from Jazz,
who they would never have heard from,
and right there is a win.
Even if it was, like, one
person out there that's like,
"you know what? I get it,
and I accept trans people now.
I wouldn't have in the
past," that's a win.
Jeanette: I kept swimming,
swimming, swimming.
I see that my mom is
missing. I'm like, "oh, boy."
My mom is nowhere to be found.
♪♪
- Nice cup.
- That's my Daddy Cup.
Oh, my goodness. [Laughs]
Greg: Here's to you guys.
Thanks for coming home.
What are you drinking?
Bubbly seltzer water.
All the kids are down from college
because we're going on
our scuba-diving trip.
I think it's going to be
a fun family adventure,
and I think we're going to
have a lot of great stories
when we're done.
You guys looking
forward to scuba diving?
I'm actually quite scared.
Ari: Don't you just float
up if something goes wrong?
Yeah?
I guess you missed that lesson.
[Door opens]
- Is that Mom and Jazz?
- It is them.
Hello, hello.
Hey. Hi, fam. Hi.
Jeanette: I am so relieved
when we get home from Texas.
That was a very stressful
trip 'cause I think
that either side could have
taken it to another level,
but nobody wanted to
throw the first punch,
so kind of just, like,
it was like a boxing match
where they just kind of
do this and this and this,
and they never did the...
thing, which was fine.
So, what happened on the show?
Jeanette: Well, we were expecting
the worst, considering this woman,
like, raises her voice very
high and gets very aggressive.
She was respectful, but
she still stood ground
on the way she believes in things.
And did we show her what's up?
So, I mean, we tried to keep
it as peaceful as possible.
Do you think that
having met you in person
is going to change her views at all?
I think, deep down inside, she saw me,
she heard what we had to say,
and I think we could have swayed her.
I'm relieved.
It was even a little stressful for me
'cause we just really were going into
a totally different
element and environment,
but I think it remains to
be seen how involved we'll be
with adversarial parties in the future.
I think it was nice that you
guys put out an olive branch.
I, for one, am proud of you.
Jeanette: I, for two, am proud of you.
- Aw.
- Me three, then.
Y'all are kisser-butters.
[Laughter]
♪♪
All right. We are on
our way to the keys.
We're driving to scuba diving,
and I think it's going to be
a fun family adventure.
Jeanette: A family trip is
a rare thing in our lives now
with the kids off to college,
and I am so excited to
be with my whole family...
With my four little chickadees
and my hubby together.
[Snoring]
- Jeanette, you with us?
- No.
[Laughter]
So, we come home, and you
don't even want us to be here?
That really hurts, Mom.
I want to be with you guys
but in a different setting.
[Laughter]
You know that I'm not happy
about having to scuba dive.
I took dramamine so I don't
hurl all over the boat.
I get seasick very, very easily,
and I have this huge fear of vomiting.
Maybe, an overdose of dramamine
and scuba diving aren't
exactly a good combo.
Let's hope this is a great expedition.
Eh?
♪♪
- Hello.
- Hey, guys.
Greg: Hi, we're the Jennings.
We're here to see Kate?
Hi, guys. How are you doing, today?
Hey, Kate. I'm Greg.
Hi. I'm Kate.
I'm most looking forward
to spending some family time
in a unique environment.
I have this vision of all of us swimming
in the ocean side by side,
seeing all these cool fish and the coral
and just popping up at the end,
going, "that was freaking awesome."
Jeanette: The most exciting thing
about going scuba diving for me
is when it'll be over. [Laughs]
So, we do have a little bit of bad news.
So, we do have a kind of
wind front coming through in the area,
so it's a little bit too dangerous
out on the boats, today.
We have about -foot seas.
Greg: I imagine you're relieved.
Hallelujah!
[Laughing] Sorry.
So, we do have an alternate
place that we can go,
so we're not completely
done for the day.
It is pretty close by, and
we can still do our dive.
Jazz: We won't be
diving in the open ocean,
but I'm still looking forward
to seeing all the awesome
fish and the beautiful coral,
and I feel like this is
going to be a lot of fun.
- I'm excited.
- Let's go swimming.
- Let's ride.
- Let's go see the fishies.
♪♪
We get to the dive location,
and I don't even know.
Is it a lake? Is it a lagoon?
It looks very, very muddy.
Kate: All right, you guys.
We're going to head on
over to where the ball
that we're going to
use to head down, okay?
♪♪
Griffen: The lagoon looks
kind of like a swamp, to me.
It's kind of icky.
Sander: It's kind of,
like, just all dirty,
and it's cold and, like...
Jazz: You know, I love mermaids.
I love the sea, but the water
is, like, green and brown,
and it's a little bit of a letdown.
In the muddy brown
water, I kept swimming,
swimming, swimming, swimming.
It got murkier and darker
and darker, and I realized,
"I'm alone."
I see that my mom is
missing. I'm like, "oh, boy."
My mom is nowhere to be found.
I'm hoping that she didn't make
her way into the actual sea.
- Oh! We lost you.
- There she is!
Sander: There she is, outside the thing.
Did you really...
- How'd she get through that?
- I don't know!
Yeah, Mom, you did it!
My worst fear was that I
would wander off somewhere
and get lost and not know where to go,
and that's exactly what happened to me.
I guess we're not going to climb
mount Everest together next, huh?
Definitely not.
Say... "Hey, where is everybody?"
[Laughing] The whole
thing was a disaster.
[Laughs]
♪♪
I'm glad we're all here and in one piece
- and that we found Mom.
- [Laughter]
I'm so glad we did this
even though it wasn't ideal,
and some of us didn't get the
great experience they wanted.
It's sad not having you guys at home.
Like, I really miss you, and, you know,
you've had quite a year...
You guys, starting school.
Ari has become very grown up.
- Adulting.
- No, you have, like...
Griffen: Well, what about you, Jazz?
We haven't talked about you.
I think you're dealing with
more mature issues is really...
Yeah. I guess I'm dealing
with serious things
like the surgery,
and it's hard, but, I mean,
I've been thinking about stuff a lot,
and I feel like I
know what I want to do.
I think, for my surgery,
I want to go to Dr. Marci Bowers.
Jeanette: Applause.
Jazz: I chose Marci Bowers as my surgeon
because she just offered
everything that I dreamt about.
She said that she would make it
as aesthetically pleasing as possible,
and that's something
very important to me.
I think you came to the right decision.
Yeah.
Remember when I was two years old,
and I had that dream?
"When is the good fairy going to come
and change my penis into a vagina?"
- She's your good fairy.
- She's the good fairy.
Oh, my god. I'm going to cry.
No.
I am so relieved that the
long, hard search for the doctor
has come to an end.
Yay.
Now let's make steps
towards the next chapter,
which is getting a date
and getting it done.
- Oh, my baby is...
- This is as real as it gets.
Right?
Jazz: I've been thinking
about when I'm going to do it,
as well, and I think I'm going to do it
between junior and senior year.
Jazz: I actually feel a lot of relief.
I'm ready to become a complete woman.
Jeanette: This is what I always
thought should be the plan,
and I never wavered from that,
and I'm glad that she
concluded that on her own.
At the end of the day, it's
the right time for Jazz.
It feels like the end of one journey,
but it's really the beginning.
It's been a lot of work
to get to this place.
I mean, ever since I was two years old,
I've always been
declaring that I am a girl,
and now, I will have a vagina.
It's so interesting to think that.
Ah!
Ooh, I'm excited.
It's been quite a dramatic year.
I'm going to need a whole 'nother year
to recoup from this year.
We had the twins go off to college.
We had Ari turn ,
and we had Jazz turn .
All: Happy birthday!
And she has really blossomed
into such a great person.
Jeanette: I'm proud of you
because you had shut
yourself down for a while,
and you did a lot of things
that I'd never thought you would do.
Greg: She's evolving.
She's willing to go
out of her comfort zone
for her own emotional growth.
I don't want to live my
life in fear of being judged
by someone who doesn't even understand
the content of my character.
Griffen: It's going to be
the greatest day ever to see
that smile on your face
when you wake up from anesthesia
and come out of surgery,
and you can look down and
see what you want to see,
and to see you smile is going
to put all of us in tears,
and I already know it.
Jeanette: It's great that
we've gotten over this hurdle,
but there's some things
that need to be done
to prepare for the surgery.
She has to go off the
hormones for a while,
and then she's going to
have to go to two therapists
to get her letters to have the surgery,
and Jazz hates therapy.
Jazz: Just because I have
finally come to conclusions
about this operation
doesn't mean that
everything is going to be
sunshine and rainbows.
Post-op depression is very common.
For me, it was the worst pain
I had ever felt in my life.
Jazz: Really?
Everything is going to
be supremely difficult.
It's still a very difficult path,
but I just know, in my heart,
that whatever the risks
are, it will be worth it.
So, you guys ready?
♪♪
03x08 - In the Line of f*re
"I Am Jazz" focuses on a family and their day-to-day lives as their transgender daughter, who is about to go into high school, grapples with the usual teen angst in addition to her own challenges.