Jazz Jennings Celebrates Scars From Her Gender Confirmation Surgery

It’s only in the last few years that there’s been more positive representation of transgender people in the media. That’s in part thanks to Jazz Jennings, a 19-year-old trans author and activist. Jennings continues to be a powerhouse of representation in the trans community, known as one of the youngest publicly documented transgender people in the world after coming out at only 5-years-old. 

Now, she's leveling up her representation for trans people in the new decade, paying homage to the scars from her gender confirmation surgery. In a new Instagram post, Jennings refers to the markings, which she got in 2018, as her “battle scars.” 

“I’m proud of my scars and love my body just the way it is. I call them my battle wounds because they signify the strength and perseverance it took to finally complete my transition ❤️#decadechallenge,” Jazz wrote in the caption.

In the photos, she’s posing on a beach in a one-piece swimsuit, which reveals a long scar just below her bikini line, not ashamed of any part of herself and sharing her joy with the world. Jennings is not alone, with plenty of other trans stars proudly showing off who they are, recently including Theo Germaine, star of the Politician.

The young star has been outspoken about her identity and the positive sides of being trans for years, and finally underwent her long-awaited gender confirmation surgery in June 2018. During and after the process, she kept fans updated about how she was doing, even through minor complications and a second surgery in October. On the fifth season finale of her TLC reality show I Am Jazz, Jennings showed viewers the process of undergoing the gender confirmation surgery she’d wanted forever. 

Now, she’s showing more photos of the happiness that her surgery brought her, putting her scars out there for the world to see. Talking to ABC News after initially getting her gender confirmation surgery, Jennings said that it was “like a dream.” 

In a world where many trans people face harassment and violence, and, as a result, fear, Jazz Jennings continues to provide hope and joy to her community.

"I think trans representation and visibility is the most important thing because trans people face so much discrimination, and that comes from a lack of understanding of who they are," Jennings said when she launched her partnership with Gillette Venus last year. "It allows someone to see trans people, and realize we’re human beings too and that we’re just living their lives.”