Sex reassignment surgery was played for laughs on TLC’s “I Am Jazz” when a teenager’s “farewell to penis” party was planned to make a father “uncomfortable.”
Greg Jennings (the surname is a pseudonym) tacitly agreed to be his wife’s “yes man” this week as their child prepared for surgery. The result was a “fun” party meant to make him squirm.
“I want to have a ’farewell to penis party,’ his wife, Jeanette, said during Tuesday’s reality show broadcast, the media watchdog NewsBusters reported.
“Oh, my God,” replied her husband. “That was a setup.”
“That was … yes? I want to do this party because I want to have fun with the idea that Jazz is having surgery,” Mrs. Jennings said. “This is not fun. There’s nothing fun about this. But laughter is the best medicine.”
Mr. Jennings’ child was thrilled with the idea because it would inflict psychological pain on the patriarch.
“Maybe I should write a little eulogy to my penis,” the teen said. “This quirky and fun idea seems like a cool thing, but also, I love making my dad uncomfortable, and if this penis party is gonna do just that, then we got to have a penis party!”
The episode ends with a “To Be Continued” line prior to the teenager’s surgery.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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