Jazz Jennings

Transgender teenager Jazz Jennings has announced that she will be taking a gap year before attending Harvard in order to 'focus on self-care' after a busy year that has seen her undergoing gender confirmation surgery - while documenting it on her reality TV show. 

The South Florida native, 18, took to the platform to share her personal decision. The TV and YouTube personality said that deciding to take a break wasn't an easy call to make, but ultimately she thought it right to 'refocus and recenter' in order to be the 'strongest version' of herself. 

The I Am Jazz star graduated valedictorian from her high school this summer and was due to start at the Ivy League university this Fall. While she has previously expressed the desire to pursue a career in advocacy, she has not yet revealed what major she is taking. 

It's hard to believe Jazz is only 18! 

A Taste of Ivory

Ivory Aquino never thought there would be roles for a transgender girl from the Philippines, so she was prepared to give up on her childhood dream of being an actor.

“I didn’t feel at that time that there were any roles I could do,” Aquino tells PEOPLE exclusively about her despair.

So, with acting seemingly out of the question, Aquino decided to try her hand at becoming a singer.

“With androgynous figures like David Bowie, I thought I could do music without thinking about gender,” she says in the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

But after moving to the U.S. in her teens, and undergoing her gender confirmation surgery out of the country at age 26, Aquino had a revelation.

“My outsides finally felt like my insides,” she says. “The first thought that came to mind was, ‘I can act again!’ ”

Aquino, who stars as the trans activist Cecilia Chung in the ABC mini series, is still in the beginning of her acting career.

For more, go here.

Gender Confirmation Surgery and Memorial Day

I recently received a really nice comment from Josie (Thanks!) In it she mentioned a newer term a doctor has been using for SRS- Gender Confirmation Surgery. I know we don't need more labels but this one seems to hit the nail on the head!
As we are into the week before Memorial Day in my part of the world, the suddenly unpredictable weather this winter and spring has become predicable.  It's going to be near 90 degrees Fahrenheit for the 3 day weekend. It's been warm this week and I've had a chance for the first time in my life to really feel the air and breeze on my arms and back.  Of course I've been able to remove and keep the hair off my body which has been surprisingly easy. My own hair is still not up to my length standards yet so I'm still wearing the longer hair pieces which still feel so good! The whole deal gives me wonderful  glimpses into what the future will hold!
Interestingly enough, I've found that timing is everything with this Memorial Day. For those of you from other parts of the world, if you don't know Memorial Day in the USA commemorates our military veterans fallen and alive.
As my own personal celebration, it will be time to send my appeal to the Veterans Administration (VA).  As expected they turned down paying for my private doctors consultation which I had to have. It's the only way they would fill my hormone prescriptions.
To put it simply, my VA caregivers said I qualified but they had no one qualified to prescribe. The way I see it-that's their problem not mine.
It's not a lot of money but then again, I don't have a lot of money and the principal is important here!
I will pass along more later this week!