It's been two years since Jazz Jennings and her family made their private life public on TLC's award-winning I Am Jazz—a reality series documenting the life of a teenage girl who just happened to be transgender. Two years isn't that long ago, but Jazz and her family slept a little more soundly at night then, knowing there was an advocate for them in the White House.

And on November 8, 2016? "I felt like we didn’t have that security and confidence to move forward strongly," Jazz confides during a visit to the Glamour offices in Los Angeles. "It was just kind of…we were shaken up."

Shaken, yes, but not deterred. At 16 years old, Jazz is wise beyond her years, and knows that the fight for LGBTQ rights goes far beyond 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. "We will be able to make progress," she insists. "We know now more than ever that we have to stay strong and stay united."

Part of that progress comes from her ability to tell her personal story to millions of viewers, many of whom still don't have a solid understanding of what life is like for transgender young people. By opening up her everyday life—along with her ever-present fears and triumphs—Jazz hopes to educate viewers. This season of I Am Jazz (featuring a two-night premiere on June 27 and 28 on TLC) is no different, with Jazz facing perhaps the biggest test of all: gender confirmation surgery.

"The overall message is me transitioning from being a girl to being a woman, and that comes with many different challenges. I go on different dates, I have my Sweet 16 party, and we explore the gender confirmation surgery. All these steps to become the person I've always wanted to be."

In case you haven't noticed, she's well on her way. Read on.

Glamour: The general public seems to have a better understanding of what it means to be transgender in 2017, but we’re also having to fight for basic human rights now more than ever. What's your take, given our current political climate?

Jazz Jennings: I think with this new administration, a lot of people feel more enabled to spread hate. There’s an abundance of new haters who feel more confident in stating their opinion because [of certain elected officials]. It’s really frustrating seeing that so many people are ignorant and don’t really understand what it means to be transgender. I feel like they’ve heard about it, but they don’t really [understand]. One person said, ‘I don’t care what you feel on the inside; If you’re biologically male, you’re male.’ I just don’t understand why people look at it from that perspective.

Glamour: Let's go back to election night. How difficult was that evening for you?

JJ: It was definitely a tough day. It’s almost like everyone was gloomy the next day. It felt like our country was completely thrown upside down and we didn’t know what we were in for at all. It was upsetting because I wasn’t sure what Trump was going to do. He had said before that he would allow Caitlyn Jenner to use the female restroom, but you never know with him because he’s so unpredictable. So it was just a scary feeling.

Glamour: What did you worry most about that day?

JJ: I wasn’t thinking that much about myself; I was thinking more about my community. I wanted everyone to feel safe, to feel loved, to feel respected and treated equally. I felt like we didn’t have that security and confidence to move forward strongly. It was just kind of…we were shaken up.