TLC’s Jazz Jennings Responds To Derick Dillard’s ‘Ignorant’ Statement About Being ‘Transgender’

Jazz Jennings is finally breaking her silence over Derick Dillard’s statement about being transgender.

I pity Jazz, 4 those who take advantage of him in order 2 promote their agenda, including the parents who allow these kinds of decisions 2 be made by a child. It’s sad that ppl would use a juvenile this way. Again, nothing against him, just unfortunate what’s on tv these days.
— Derick Dillard (@derickmdillard) November 9, 2017

On Thursday, the “Counting On” star responded to a fan who claimed that there have been multiple occasions Dillard appeared to be hateful of other people. In August, he went under fire for saying that “transgender is a myth. Gender is not fluid; it’s ordained by God.” He also said that he thinks Jennings is being taken advantage of by her parents and even the network that airs episodes of “I Am Jazz.”

In the face of constant ignorance and hatred I prefer to disregard negative opinions and continue moving forward with love💖
— Jazz Jennings (@JazzJennings__) November 11, 2017

Two days later, Jennings released a statement via her Twitter account and said that she refuse to be affected by such “ignorant” statements. The 17-year-old also said that she will move forward with love in her heart instead of hatred.

pic.twitter.com/YdJHU84xxE
— TLC Network (@TLC) November 11, 2017

TLC also responded to Dillard’s statement that they are exploiting the teenager to push their agenda. On the network’s official Twitter account, they revealed that Dillard has not participated in the filming of “Counting On” for months and said that they have no plans to invite him back on the reality TV show.

They also reiterated that Dillard’s personal statement is not a reflection of their stand as a network. “TLC is proud to share the story of Jazz Jennings and her family will continue to do so,” they concluded.

Jennings is an American YouTube personality and an LGBTQ rights activist. In a June, she spoke with People after undergoing bottom surgery and the complications that might come with it. “There’s definitely been a lot of complications in terms of the bottom surgery. We’ve been talking about it a lot… It’s all weird stuff. It’s been a journey for sure. I haven’t gotten the procedure yet, but this season you’ll see me go on consultations and finding the surgeon of my choice,” she said.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Dillard found himself in the middle of the huge controversy following his personal statements. A couple of months ago, reports swirled that Dillard asked his fans for financial help. He has also been accused of misusing missionary funds in the past.

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