Looks like Jazz, our favorite little trans tween from 2007/2009 is back and better than ever. I was pleasantly surprised to come across this the other day, on of all places the merfolk network forums. Apparently she has been making a name for herself by both educating the mer community on there about being trans and embracing her passion for mermaids by becoming one herself and now a tailer for others too. I had already planned on getting a tail eventually (as in after my GRS next year) but now I'm going to have to think about this option. Wish I was that brave to be as open and optimistic like her when I was a trans teen... *sigh*
http://jazzmergirl.wix.com/purplerainbowtails

Wait... What? Can you (or someone) clarify what this is about? Thanks!

I've heard of Jazz before-quite a beautiful young lady inside and out. 

Though I must say that I don't know about the mer community...

shes been talked about on the forums several times before from her interviews that were done for 20/20 and 60 minutes back in 2007 and 2009 when she was 5 and 8. Now shes resurfaced outside the local community where she lives and is trying to raise funds for her foundation by making products geared specifically for the mermaid community. shes becoming a figure for both the trans and mer communities by doing so choosing to instead of making a profit for herself  to pay for her eventual surgical needs, putting half of it to the fund her parents created to benefit trans youth and the other half to cover the supplies to make a real wearable swimmable mermaid tail like what you see in the movies or tv shows.

http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/

I thought this would be ok to post as i was looking on the forums about how a number of us have interests and love of mermaids with the similarities there  are between the trans and merfolk communities

Not sure there is actually a "mer community" out there, but I may not be quite in touch with all that at my great age. But I have heard that young out trans kids (mostly girls) identify with mermaids because of the bottom part of the body being undefined.  It makes sense. I see Jazz as a really great trans advocate but a lot is on her parents her accepted her from day one, just about.

ON a side note this sort of thing is getting increasingly possible. I live in Albuquerque. We actually have enough kids who are living their lives as their correct gender as early as age 5 to have a kid's playgroup (I heard the nos were around 12 right now).


--Jay

Quote from: aleon515 on December 17, 2013, 11:38:40 AM
Not sure there is actually a "mer community" out there, but I may not be quite in touch with all that at my great age. But I have heard that young out trans kids (mostly girls) identify with mermaids because of the bottom part of the body being undefined.

it used to be rather small socially speaking (just like trans networks were mostly local and offline back in the day) but has exploded in recent years since recent involvement in the entertainment industry like with H2O and Pirates 4, thats why performers and places like Weeki Wachee Springs were so sensational due to their perceived rarity, just like trans people in media used to be thought of as very rare. It used to cost so much to even get a realistic tail made (about 8-14k) with less than a handfull of places to go to for one, but now with the boom, you can get a fully realistic tail made from a number of places for around 1000-3000 (just like how the cost of transition has gone down significantly while also going up in quality in recent years.) http://mernetwork.com/ is the place to go to if anyone is interested.

Quote from: aleon515 on December 17, 2013, 11:38:40 AM
Not sure there is actually a "mer community" out there, but I may not be quite in touch with all that at my great age. But I have heard that young out trans kids (mostly girls) identify with mermaids because of the bottom part of the body being undefined.  It makes sense. I see Jazz as a really great trans advocate but a lot is on her parents her accepted her from day one, just about.

ON a side note this sort of thing is getting increasingly possible. I live in Albuquerque. We actually have enough kids who are living their lives as their correct gender as early as age 5 to have a kid's playgroup (I heard the nos were around 12 right now).


--Jay

My favorite princess was a mermaid...
She wanted to live as a human... and so do I.

Any word on how much the tails are? Not that I want one (maybe if I were a teen again )... I'm curious.

I was secretly in love with the little mermaid too when it came out in 89, but i felt i had to hide it because i wasn't completely accepting of my own self back then and was too worried of what others might think of me being that way. however i certainly did enjoy pretending to be a fish when i was alone since i didn't quite enjoy being a boy (even if there were a number of stereotypically boyish things i liked doing) and wasn't allowed to be a girl. now that I;m past all that, i can openly love Ariel- and not just cause Disney is covering my GRS too). I just put up in my room an original poster from before they had to edit out the "phallic nature" of King Triton's castle lol


Girl, I may be 30 now, but I'm still going to get me a tail eventually  LOL (after a new vehicle, then not-covered surgery costs, then a new camera system, then the tail)

Custom made Tails cost anywhere from 150-650 for a fabric one (depending on the monofin you can get to fit inside it) to 750-4500 for a fully realistic looking tail made of neoprene,latex, and/or Dragonskin silicone. its all on their forums. feel free to pm me. i just joined on there as "mermel"

Quote from: veritatemfurto on December 17, 2013, 01:34:45 PM
it used to be rather small socially speaking (just like trans networks were mostly local and offline back in the day) but has exploded in recent years since recent involvement in the entertainment industry like with H2O and Pirates 4, thats why performers and places like Weeki Wachee Springs were so sensational due to their perceived rarity, just like trans people in media used to be thought of as very rare. It used to cost so much to even get a realistic tail made (about 8-14k) with less than a handfull of places to go to for one, but now with the boom, you can get a fully realistic tail made from a number of places for around 1000-3000 (just like how the cost of transition has gone down significantly while also going up in quality in recent years.) http://mernetwork.com/ is the place to go to if anyone is interested.

Well that's interesting. Weeki Wachee Springs has been around for a LONG time. I saw the show when I was 10 or so (and I am let's say "older".) There is a scene in the "Right Stuff" (1983) where they are in the bar with the "mermaids" in the background.

--Jay

Wow, honestly wasn't aware that any such thing as a 'mer-community' even existed!

Personally I think it's great that people are becoming increasingly free to be what they want to be and society is becoming increasingly ok with it.  Still a looooong ways to go of course, but it's all heading in the right direction imho

It would be interesting to see if (assuming the community becomes big enough to push for it) doctors start developing / offering surgical procedures to graft things like permanent tails and bio-mechanical gills to allow for permanent underwater life.  Not my thing personally of course (I wan't to go the other direction! *points at the stars* ), but it would signify that humanity is moving into a phase of 'evolution by choice rather than chance', which would bode very well for our continuing survival as a species, especially when we start properly getting into space (*crosses fingers for brain-transplants in our lifetime*  I need an android body damnit! ).

So yeh, I actually think that's kinda cool

Quote from: veritatemfurto on December 17, 2013, 01:52:16 PM
I was secretly in love with the little mermaid too when it came out in 89, but i felt i had to hide it because i wasn't completely accepting of my own self back then and was too worried of what others might think of me being that way...

Oh god I know that feeling hunni!  I used to love it when my friend Cassie would come over and wanted me to sit with her and watch it.  Outwardly I was like "oh it's not really my thing but I'll do it because it's you", but inside I was like "YAAAAAAY! " <333

Well surgical procedures aside, there is an adult camp they offer. I'm not in such things, but it sounds like fun if you were.
You can't actually swim underwater, as that takes SCUBA training. It looks WILDLY popular and is filled thru Sept 2014.
http://www.weekiwachee.com/index.php/camps/sirens-of-the-deep-mermaid-camp

--Jay

Quote from: aleon515 on December 18, 2013, 01:48:20 PM
Well surgical procedures aside, there is an adult camp they offer. I'm not in such things, but it sounds like fun if you were.
You can't actually swim underwater, as that takes SCUBA training. It looks WILDLY popular and is filled thru Sept 2014.
http://www.weekiwachee.com/index.php/camps/sirens-of-the-deep-mermaid-camp

--Jay

uh yeaaaa its a tourist trap... lol those same moves that they teach there are in numerous youtubes and a couple tutorials on the site i linked.

Quote from: KiraD on December 18, 2013, 11:48:51 AM
Wow, honestly wasn't aware that any such thing as a 'mer-community' even existed!

Personally I think it's great that people are becoming increasingly free to be what they want to be and society is becoming increasingly ok with it.  Still a looooong ways to go of course, but it's all heading in the right direction imho

It would be interesting to see if (assuming the community becomes big enough to push for it) doctors start developing / offering surgical procedures to graft things like permanent tails and bio-mechanical gills to allow for permanent underwater life.  Not my thing personally of course (I wan't to go the other direction! *points at the stars* ), but it would signify that humanity is moving into a phase of 'evolution by choice rather than chance', which would bode very well for our continuing survival as a species, especially when we start properly getting into space (*crosses fingers for brain-transplants in our lifetime*  I need an android body damnit! ).

So yeh, I actually think that's kinda cool

Oh god I know that feeling hunni!  I used to love it when my friend Cassie would come over and wanted me to sit with her and watch it.  Outwardly I was like "oh it's not really my thing but I'll do it because it's you", but inside I was like "YAAAAAAY! " <333

indeed, Kira! I too also have an affinity for space... you should search my photo thread for when i got inside two shuttles. I think eventually given enough time the terran species could either ascend past corporeal form, or develop abilities to shapeshift and either way be whatever we wanted to be.