S02.E04: Your Body May Be Rejecting the Implant

[PupCal]

9 hours ago, teevee4me said:

I think she has become more reclusive with her peers because of all this media attention. I think she is terribly confused and regretting all these big decision's. She doesn't fit in with those green haired butchy types.

Which makes me wonder if Jeanette isn't ill herself and wanted a different kid. Seriously, she gets as much attention as Jazz.

The one thing i believe about this reality show is that Jazz doesn't regret transitioning. She might be having issues regarding the pace (she's 14 or so, right? so the doctors could probably switch her to an anti-adrogen/estrogen combo instead of the T-blocker) but she doesn't regret starting.

I do wish the GSA had more trans women- I do find it odd that in such a large group there wasn't one other trans girl for Jazz to talk to. Although i bet if her mother hadn't tagged along she might've been a bit more cheerful.

[CousinAmy]

On 7/7/2016 at 1:02 PM, possibilities said:

I think the publicity protects them as much as it attracts danger. Trans people are the victims of more violent hate crimes than you would believe-- look at the statistics and see if you can pick your jaw up off the floor-- and that includes people who do not seek publicity. There was no way they were going to be able to give Jazz a life while keeping her reality totally secret. All kinds of people knew (for ex the schools), and they have said over and over again that it's a matter of safety for her to disclose before she's "discovered" by accident. I think they made a calculation that it was better to proactively out themselves and gain allies, than to wait for the bigots to attack you when you least expect it and/or nobody is watching. We'll never know for sure how it would have turned out if they'd tried to keep it more under wraps, but I don't think their choice was made lightly or that it was necessarily wrong. They had no really good/totally safe options, in my opinion.

 

I don't think her parents were thinking that strategically when they put her on the Barbara Walters' show. She was just a little child. Did they think having BW interview her would make her safe? That doesn't make sense. I think they - especially her mother - wanted to show her off and didn't make the choice to have her life publicized for her protection. 

[RemoteControlFreak]

On 6/30/2016 at 10:05 AM, greekmom said:

I'm wondering if the DMV scene is a re-enactment.  They called up "Jaron Jennings" and I read somewhere that the last name of Jennings is being used by the family as a pseudonym (probably to protect their privacy).

Yes, that seemed obvious.  The family name is not Jennings. Also, I've been in the DMV in five US states and none of them call customers up to the counter by name. They all use numbers.  Maybe Florida actually uses names, but I doubt it.

[RemoteControlFreak]

On 7/7/2016 at 10:55 AM, 3 is enough said:

Stupid question:  Does using a pseudonym offer any protection when you are on a tv show?  

I assume the kids use their real name at school, and the dad does not use the pseudonym at work.  What's stopping someone who knows them in real life from revealing their real name?  Obviously the horrible person who was calling them at home (unless that was faked for the cameras) knows their real name.

Given the negative reactions that are prevalent about transgender people, I can't help but worry that having a minor documenting her journey on tv may be too dangerous.  I do applaud Jazz for trying to raise awareness, but have to wonder if her safety is being compromised.  It seems that her dad is very concerned about safety and privacy issues, but her mom appears to be less concerned.

Yes, the dad uses his real name at work, both parents use their real names on their respective Linkedin pages and the other kids use their real last names at school. It's extremely easy for anyone to find their real last name.  Who do they think they are hiding from?

[momofsquid]

The talk about her real name made me curious enough to do a quick Google. When Jazz was first starting school she was already a news story because she was registered as a female. Those articles are still online and the family hadn't adopted the pseudonym yet, so they refer to her by her birth name. Any creeper who wanted to track her down could do so very easily. That said, there's no reason for the family to make it any easier for the creepers by using her legal name on TV, so I can't blame them. Now I'm feeling like a bit of a creeper for Googling.