“As someone who has experienced discrimination in sports, it makes me feel terrible about the message that laws like this send out to transgender youth,” transgender activist Jazz Jennings wrote on her Instagram.
What We Know:
- The South Florida native discussed her feelings on the state’s new Fairness in Women’s Sports Act on social media. Initially, Jazz discussed how happy she felt about Pride Month beginning. However, she proceeded to call out Governor Ron Desantis for signing such a discriminatory law into effect. At the end of it, she reassured transgender youth that they were valid and encouraged them to continue feeling pride in themselves.
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- The Jennings family feels strongly about transgender discrimination bills like these due to previous encounters. At 8-years-old, coaches banned Jazz from playing on her girls’ soccer team. Alongside the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Jazz’s family defended her rights to play soccer.
- In addition to Jazz’s comments, her brother Sander told WGFL he believed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act was “cruel” and “absolutely disheartening”. He also said that when the soccer team prohibited Jazz from playing, it ruined her experience as a player, and she never felt the same passion for the sport. His comments imply that he believes the new bill will ruin many transgender athletes’ love for their games.
- Jazz took to Variety to continue speaking against the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. She told Caroline Framke that she hopes lawmakers block similar bills like these from passing in the future.
“I’m hopeful that the bills will be dismissed, or something will be passed at the federal level that prevents these bills from being able to be passed,” Jazz said. “It’s discrimination, you know?”
- Jazz officially identified as a transgender female at the age of 5 and proceeded to appear in a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters where she publicly declared her gender orientation. This garnered national attention to her, and by the age of 14, TLC began documenting her life as a teen and young adult in their reality show I Am Jazz. Additionally, she released a memoir in 2016 entitled Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen.
Despite President Joe Biden signing an executive order to protect children’s individual rights on the basis of gender rights and sexual orientation, states such as Idaho, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas, Montana, and Florida approved anti-transgender athletic bills.
