The 14 year-old star of I Am Jazz talks to her mother about wanting a relationship and the unique struggles that entails

Transgender Teen Jazz Jennings Says She Has Felt 'Excluded and Left Out' When It Comes to Dating

Like most teens, Jazz Jennings is eager to start dating now that she’s heading to high school. Like most parents, her mom Jeanette can’t help but be a little wary.

In an exclusive sneak peek at Wednesday’s episode of I Am Jazz, the transgender 14-year-old girl opens up about her growing interest in exploring her love life, telling her mom, “When I see everyone else finding romance and everything, I just feel a little bit excluded and left out.”

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But mom Jeanette is cautious of the unique challenges and dangers facing her daughter: “I am worried because I’m realistic. Dating is about intimacy and sexuality,” Jeanette says. “She was assigned male at birth, and that makes her different.”

She continues, “If you are transgender, it’s dangerous to date without disclosing. There are people murdered every year because they were sexually involved or intimate with somebody and did not tell them.”

Jazz’s mom makes sure to stress the importance of being upfront with potential partners, adding, “When you are considering being in a relationship with somebody or kissing somebody, they really need to know.”

Of course, the serious conversation reverts to typical mother-daughter patter when Jeanette comments she “should write a book” about dating. Jazz can’t resist shooting back, “I would not read that book.”