A combination of the SAG/WGA strikes and the horrible situations LGBTQIA+ folks in the United States are facing right now led me to binge all eight seasons of this "reality" show. Please note -- I don't usually go for this kind of fare, but this particular show is a bit different. Yes, there is false intimacy. I never forget that in the quietest moments there is a producer, one or two camera-people, maybe a sound person, in the room, as well as microphones which are being worn by those being filmed ... Heisenberg Principle! And in many of these kinds of productions, situations and conflicts are manipulated to create drama. All that being said, this isn't one of those "look at me and how effed up my family is" reality shows. It's kind of the opposite. Jazz is an extraordinary woman in a number of ways, but the bottom line here is the utter normalcy of her family. Yes, they fight. Yes, they have hidden resentments. Yes, they mess up. But they are kind of ... regular folk. Amidst incredibly frank and detailed discussions of Jazz's life as a transgender woman are a lot of very day-to-day interactions. The kids are loud and messy and often act without thinking. Mom worries, dad feels left out. The grandparents are a complete hoot. And that's kind of the point. To show a plain old American family not all that different from any other American family. Jazz felt compelled, from a young age, to speak up for her people. To be loud and proud and out. What she has accomplished, with her civic engagement, this show and two books is impressive. And there has been a cost ... she struggles. Having lost a bit of her childhood and having to take a fair amount of pharmaceuticals, she deals with depression and an eating disorder. When the time comes for her to grow up and move on to adult life, she is somewhat innocent and her mother doesn't want to let go. But she emphasizes, again and again, often in the face of pure hate, that she is a woman, and that being transgender is not the root of her problems. Watching this whole series lets you, the viewer, see all the flaws, but also the triumphs. It's easy to watch this so-called "reality" TV and sit back and judge but I think Jazz and her family should be applauded for putting it all out there. They lifted the curtain on this topic and let us see it all, whether or not it is flattering. And that ain't nothing. Here's praying that Jazz and her trans brothers and sisters are finally given their full rights as American citizens, and the peace to pursue the lives they want. Brava.
