Jazz Jennings Undergoing Gender Reassignment Surgery: 'Something Could Go Wrong'
June 4 2018, Published 4:10 p.m. ET
Jazz Jennings' lifelong dream is finally coming true. The I Am Jazz star revealed in a YouTube video that she is undergoing gender confirmation surgery later this month. But is the experimental procedure safe?
"I'm actually super excited for it," Jennings, 17, said of the June 26th procedure. "I am so looking forward to it. I've been ready for this my entire life. I'm going to have a vagina!"
The trans activist then explained how the procedure is experimental.
"Because I started the blockers so early, I never went through puberty," she explained. "I got this implant in my arm… it blocks testosterone in my body so I don't develop as a male and get a beard, mustache and deep voice. That's why I'm able to be so feminine. I didn't have growth in that region."
She continued, "Because there is a lack of tissue, they really didn't have enough material to construct the entire vagina so they're using a special procedure."
She explained how they are going to extract her peritoneal lining, which is a thin membrane that surrounds the stomach.
"They take that out through my belly button," she said. "They use that and harvest that and use it to create the vaginal canal. It looks like real vagina tissue and it feels like vagina tissue. It allows them to make a bigger canal."
Because the procedure hasn't been performed on "hundreds" of people, she explained it's "concerning."
"Something could go wrong," she said. "You don't know what's going to happen. Overall the results are going to be good and hopefully everything turns out well. I don't anticipate problems. I will cross that bridge when I get there."
Although Jennings is upset over no longer being able to pee standing up, she is excited to finally be able to wear leggings.
She explained how the procedure will be filmed for her TLC series I Am Jazz.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported in December, Jennings was busted swapping cash for a suspicious substance.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.
