Jazz Jennings Insists She’s Not ‘Mentally Ill’; ‘Depressed’ Boyfriend Ahmir Deactivates Instagram

Days after attending the 30th GLAAD Media Awards last week, Jazz Jennings took to social media to pour her heart out while addressing the issues being thrown at people like her in celebration of the International Transgender Day of Visibility.

On Sunday, the 18-year-old LGBT rights activist shared a beautiful selfie on Instagram and captioned it with a lengthy post about why everyone should not consider the state of being transgender as a mental illness and why transgender people should be given equal rights.

“Being transgender is not a myth, we are not mentally ill, and we deserve equal treatment as fellow HUMAN BEINGS. … If gender exists, then transgender exists. It’s as simple as that. I’m not saying that we have to abolish the system of gender completely, but it’s fundamental that we stop categorizing and socializing children according to their biology,” she wrote.

Jazz then continued her post by saying that transgender people basically share a message of love. She encouraged her followers to love all people “unconditionally” in order for them to see the truth. Jazz ended her note with an encouragement for her fellow trans people to continue telling their stories, so that they could clear up the misconceptions about them.

Interestingly, Jazz admitted last month that she’s still male despite getting a bottom surgery to have a vagina. Her admission came after many people called her out on social media because she called herself a “woman” when her bottom surgery was featured on her TLC reality show.

“If we are speaking about biology, then sure, you can say that I’ll always have XY chromosomes and never be a female,” she wrote on Twitter, adding that she still identifies as a woman when talking about gender.

“I Am Jazz” Season 5 ended with Jazz deciding to just stay with her parents, Greg and Jeanette, even after she’s done with her surgeries. In the earlier episodes, Jazz was very determined to move out since she has this desire to experiment with her sexuality.

Speaking of sexuality, the recently concluded installment introduced Jazz’s boyfriend Ahmir Steward. Even though things were going well between the two, Jazz told Ahmir that they should just have a “no commitment” relationship for now while she tries to explore and grow with other people.

Ahmir agreed with Jazz on the show, but his Instagram posts last month seemed to have been hinting at a secret breakup. Apparently, the Philadelphia native admitted that he hasn’t been happy for a while and he’s only feigning his smiles. He also disclosed his battle with depression and anxiety amid speculations that he and Jazz might not be a couple anymore.

When Ahmir decided to break his silence amid the rumors, he just told the fans of the series to just tune in to the show and put two and two together. But the speculations intensified when Jazz forgot to mention Ahmir in her “thank you” post for the people supported her throughout the season. Fans were wondering why Ahmir wasn’t mentioned even though he has been a big part of the installment. Just recently, Ahmir decided to deactivate his Instagram as Jazz continued to ignore the breakup rumors.

“I Am Jazz” has been renewed for another season.