New Delhi:
11-year-old Jazz, long-haired and looking just like any other American pre-teen her age, has something important to say: "I was born a boy but live as a girl. I am transgender."
We live in a world that sees things as black or white and right or wrong. There's little room for a non-conformist or someone who's just different. Someone like Jazz, who was devastated because she couldn't wear a dress to school or a tutu to dance class like the other girls. She has a simple explanation for the mismatched identity she was born with: "I have a girl's brain in a boy's body."
Diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder at age three, Jazz's parents decided to let her grow up as the girl she believes she is. "When I was five, my pronoun was changed from he to she," says Jazz.
From her fight to use the girl's bathroom at school to playing soccer on the girl's team, Jazz has come a long way. She's now a spokesperson for people like her and helps spread awareness at universities and medical schools.
Wise beyond her years, Jazz embraces the fact that she's different. "It just matters if you're having a good time and you like who you are," she says.
Jazz's story is one of unconditional love and acceptance of oneself. How many of us are that true to ourselves?
Watch her incredible journey: