If people are going to judge me without fully understanding the content of my character, then their opinion just isn't worth it.
Jazz Jennings
Being transgender isn't a medical transition. It's a process of learning to love yourself for who you are.
I hope to stop discrimination against young transgender people.
I wouldn't change myself at all. Being transgender makes me who I am: a strong person, a confident person. Being transgender gives me my personality.
I want to help transgender individuals who might be struggling realize that they have to love themselves and stay true to who they are because if they keep moving forward, and keep a positive attitude, then things will get better.
If someone says something hurtful to you or makes you feel down on yourself, then you just gotta stay positive and keep moving forward because they might not know much about you, or they may not understand the situation.
Being transgender is more than just medical books and everything, procedures. It's something spiritual in which you're finding yourself and really discovering who you are and learning to love yourself.
Ever since I could form coherent thoughts, I knew I was a girl trapped inside a boy's body. There was never any confusion in my mind. The confusing part was why no one else could see what was wrong.
If you don't have the love and support of your family, you need to find someone out there who you can confide in and share your concerns and worries with. And someone who can lift your spirits and make you feel valuable and strong and powerful.
The only opinion that really affects me is my own opinion of myself because I determine the way I am, not anyone else.
It's something you're born with, and you realize that you're trapped in the wrong body. It's not like one day you're like, 'I want to be transgender!'
Mermaids are just the most whimsical, mystical creatures of all time.
Bras should be comfortable. I hate when you have all those bras with all that wiring that poke into your ribs, and you take it off at the end of the day, and it feels good. It shouldn't feel good to take off your bra at the end of the day. It should be something that feels good throughout the day.
I think that's important - that transgender individuals are just like everyone else. We have our interests, our hobbies, our things we like to do. And people have to understand that.
I think being a teenager is a difficult journey in and of itself, but being transgender makes it that much harder.
I wouldn't change anything about myself. Not because I'm being cocky or anything, but because this is who I am, and I'm proud of who I am.
I definitely think when I'm feeling super down or having tantrums or not able to participate in any activities, I have to control myself. I have to tell myself, 'No, focus, focus, focus, do this, do this, do this.' Instead of shutting down, I encourage myself to think positively and move towards the light.
So many transgender people in the community are being covered with this umbrella of misconception that we are going to hurt someone. But we are not trying to hurt anyone.
Progress can't happen just from trans people being out in the open. Society also has to truly accept transgender individuals. If society is capable of treating us equally, then we can and will live authentically.
I define myself.
I'm a patient person. I can wait for my prince charming.
Falling in love. Being in love. It's something I dream of, something I want to feel.
I think that a lot of people don't understand how much discrimination transgender people actually face. They think that we're just kind of saying it to put it out there and get sympathy, but that's not true at all.
A lot of straight and transgender boys get in touch with me through my website and social media. They tell me I'm inspirational and beautiful. It boosts my self-esteem.
In the morning when I wake up, I'll exfoliate. Then at night when I shower, I'll also use an exfoliating scrub. My routine is easy, and I just get clean skin.
I was never a boy. I always was a girl in my heart, and although I was presented as a boy to the public, inside I was feminine. It was OK to be that because that's just who I was, and I can't change that. I was born that way.
I know that one day all transgender individuals will have the freedom to be who they are, no matter what. And we won't have to face the cruel judgments of society. We can just live our lives and be treated and respected like everyone else.
I want to show people they don't have to be scared of being different.
I'm open, and I'm out there, but I also enjoy being alone, relaxing.
I wish everything was gender neutral. I wish we weren't separated by boundaries like pink and blue and little things like that. I wish we could choose how we express ourselves without hate.
I want people to feel happy in their own skins and feel accepted by society.
Having such a supportive family has really shaped the person that I am today.
For transgender kids who are struggling, I want them to know they're not alone. They shouldn't be afraid to step out of their shadows.
I look at people for their souls, and I can see myself falling in love with anyone after getting to know them and developing a relationship.
Hormone blockers changed and saved my life.
I'm the youngest of four siblings and the baby of the family. My family just treated me like anyone else growing up. They taught me that everyone has a special and unique trait about them, and that mine is that I have a girl brain and a boy body.
Kids can be annoying. Especially teenagers - oh my gosh. They can be cruel.
I'm just attracted to people for who they are on the inside.
From the moment I could express myself, I acted like a stereotypical girl and insisted that I was a girl. I wasn't just a boy who liked girly things - I knew I was a girl.
There are so few books for little kids that actually mention the word transgender and explain what it is in simple terms.
Having transgender characters leads to more visibility, which creates education. Education can hopefully lead to everyone treating our community with acceptance and love.
The real me is happy and proud to be who I am.
Bathrooms have always been a big issue in my life. My parents fought for me to be able to enroll in elementary school as a girl, which I did. But I still would not be allowed to use the girls' room under any condition.
It's so important to look out for your child and protect them.
We just want to help people understand that it's okay to be transgender, and they're just like everyone else.
I share my story to help other people. I know people need someone to be a role model and help them along the way.
Who knows? Maybe someday I'll be living in the White House.
I'm an average girl with an average family - and I hope people can see that.
GLAAD has so much information and outlets about LGBTQ people and some of the issues we face and who we are.
I definitely think it's important to share my process when it comes to the bottom surgery, because that information really isn't out there.
