Jazz Jennings

“The real me is happy and proud to be who I am.”

“Falling in love. Being in love. It's something I dream of, something I want to feel.”

“Often, when a girl has a crush on a boy, her friend will dare her to speak to him or ask for a pencil, or better yet, let him know that she has a crush. Pretty risky stuff... It happens thousands of times a day in the lives of teenagers everywhere. Putting yourself out there. Daring to expose your true feelings.”

“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.”

“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.”

“I see myself maybe being, like, a movie producer or screenwriter or a novelist or a scientist or mathematician.”

“I'd like to think I'm funny.”

“A lot of insurance companies don't protect transgender people because they think it's medically unnecessary, but we deserve to be covered, and this is life-saving treatment.”

“I feel really honored to be part of The #seetherealme campaign. It's really amazing, as it helps many teen girls who are struggling. It helps them to find themselves and be true to who they are.”

“I want to show people they don't have to be scared of being different.”

“I want people to feel happy in their own skins and feel accepted by society.”

“Just like everyone else, I'm not perfect; I go through challenges as well.”

“Kids can be annoying. Especially teenagers - oh my gosh. They can be cruel.”

“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.”

“With my own videos, I definitely have more control over what I want to put out there and what I want to say. With the TV show, I'm not the editor. There's always things that I wanted to put in there. My dad has the final say in everything on YouTube, but I can be more expressive.”

“I definitely feel that society sets expectations for transgender people to fit in and makes us feel as if we have to dress a certain way so that we blend in with everyone else. But I believe all transgender individuals should be able to wear whatever they want and not worry about fitting in.”

“As a transgender child, I was always looking around for someone like me, because I thought I was the only one. It's hard to feel like that. But having support from my family changed everything. They helped me love myself and embrace who I am.”

“I have no idea what I want to do for a career. But in terms of my advocacy work, I'm definitely going to continue.”

“There are so many trans kids who are struggling with who they are. I want them to know that one day, they will find the light. No matter what, we have to be who we are. Once you love and accept yourself, then others will slowly do so as well.”

“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.”