February 28, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 37 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H2294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ``I AM JAZZ''

  (Mrs. CRAIG asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CRAIG. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Jazz and 
Friends National Day of Readings.
  And I continue: ``Mom said that being Jazz would make me different 
from the other kids at school, but that being different is okay. What's 
important, she said, is that I'm happy with who I am.
  ``Being Jazz caused some other people to be confused too, like the 
teachers at school.
  ``At the beginning of the year they wanted me to use the boys' 
bathroom, and play on the boys' team in gym class, but that didn't feel 
normal to me at all.
  ``I was so happy when the teachers changed their minds. . . . ''
  ``Even today, there are kids who tease me, or call me by a boy name, 
or ignore me altogether. This makes me feel crummy.
  ``Then I remember that the kids who get to know me usually want to be 
my friend. They say I am one of the nicest girls at school.
  ``I don't mind being different. Different is special. I think what 
matters most is what a person is like on the inside.
  ``And inside, I am happy. I am having fun. I am proud.
  ``I am Jazz.''

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