Trans trailblazer Jazz Jennings has largely grown up in the public eye. The Florida native stars on her own TLC reality show, I Am Jazz, along with the rest of her family. Her three siblings have become well-known figures on TV in their own right.
Sander Jennings is Jazz Jennings’ older brother
As the older brother of Jazz Jennings, Sander has often stood up for his younger sister, and for the LGBTQ community at large. The University of Florida graduate is an ally for LGBTQ people, especially as discriminatory legislation gets passed around the country, including in their home state of Florida.
“Right now, there is so much hate and false rhetoric surrounding the transgender community. It’s part of a coordinated attack to try and reduce transgender acceptance and visibility in society,” he wrote on Instagram on Transgender Day of Visibility in 2023. “My sister Jazz is living proof of transgender resilience and strength. She knew who she was from the moment she could express herself and lives as a proud woman today.”
Sander, along with Jazz and the rest of the family, has developed a friendship with Peppermint, an actor, activist, drag legend, and TV star widely known for her run on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Peppermint frequently appears in Sander’s videos online, helping educate the 25-year-old on issues facing the trans community and helping him be a better ally for his sister and for the greater community.
Griffen Jennings is Sander Jennings’ twin
Jazz Jennings has not just one, but two older brothers. Griffen Jennings is Sander’s identical twin, though Griffen was born after Sander. And like Sander, he attended the University of Florida.
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Sander’s journey to dating and finding someone for him has been documented on I Am Jazz and online, but Griffen is in a relationship of his own. He shares photos with his girlfriend, also a UF attendee, on his Instagram.
Ari Jennings is Jazz Jennings’ older sister
The oldest sibling of the family and the eldest child of Jeanette and Greg Jennings, Ari Jennings keeps a notably lower profile than her brothers and the rest of their family. Unlike Sander and Griffen, Ari hasn’t opted to become an influencer, instead focusing on school. After graduating from the University of Florida, she began pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas.
Still, Ari has appeared on I Am Jazz, often being the quieter and more subdued sibling compared to Sander and Griffen.
Their parents, Greg and Jeanette Jennings, have been supportive of Jazz since birth
In 2007, Greg and Jeanette Jennings spoke with Barbara Walters in an episode of 20/20 aimed at better understanding trans children. At the time, Jazz was just six years old, and her parents spoke about how she knew she was a girl from the time she was a toddler, and how they chose to love her unconditionally.
“A phase is called a phase because it is just that. It ends. And this is not ending. This is just getting stronger,” Jeanette said at the time of her choice to affirm Jazz’s gender identity rather than dismiss it as a phase.
“[Jeanette] and I are in 100 percent agreement as to how we should raise Jazz,” Greg added. “We don’t encourage, we support. And we just keep listening to what she tells us.”
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