Transgender youth activist Jazz Jennings returns to TLC for Season 4 of her hit show I Am Jazz tonight — which sees her suffer setbacks in her journey towards gender confirmation surgery.
With high hopes after choosing the ideal surgeon, Jazz unfortunately learns she may not be able to get the standard procedure as hoped.
And due to her weight, she faces the unexpected challenge of having to lose 30lb so she can go ahead with the operation.
Watch footage from the Season 4 premiere below as Jazz talks to her friend Skylar to find out how it feels after having the surgery, where sexual organs are removed and reconstructed to properly match up and fit a person’s identity.
Jazz, 16 at the time of filming, is curious about the issues of pain and perception, as asks Skylar if urination feels different and how long it took to feel “normal” in her new body. Skylar’s positive responses appear to put Jazz at ease.
This season is a powerful segment in Jazz’s journey. Not only is she prepping for the surgery, but her family home in Coral Springs, Florida, comes under threat from Hurricane Irma which decimated parts of the state earlier this year.
Jazz’s life path began as a male, but she has lived as a girl since kindergarten. Mom and dad Jeanette and Greg have waged battles and fought hard to get Jazz the right support, fighting discrimination and misconceptions about transgendered people.
After battling prejudice and hostile reactions, Jazz was named one of The 25 Most Influential Teens in 2014 and 2015 by Time magazine, while I Am Jazz has been awarded the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program.
The TLC series reveals that Jazz is like any girl in that her studies, social life, and maturation are all in play, but she also has the added stress of having to undergo hormone and surgical adjustments.
This season sees Jazz wanting to explore her sexual life and desires, as well as battle her food demons with her weight beginning to skyrocket.
I Am Jazz returns tonight at 10/9c on TLC.