Trans Teen Jane Noury Shares Personal Journey in New Docuseries

Always Jane on Prime Video is an intimate four-part docuseries that follows transgender teen Jane Noury and her family as she nears high school graduation and prepares to leave the nest for college.

Deeply personal and moving, Always Jane showcases a family with unconditional love that shines through as they tackle obstacles head-on so that Noury can live a true and authentic life. Navigating challenging issues, the Noury family’s uplifting humor and kindness is always present, revealing the transformative power of acceptance, support, and love.

“We worked really hard on this project for the past two years,” Noury exclusively told OFM. “I hope everyone likes it.”

Noury’s decision to share her story came about as she started her senior year of high school and began to pursue modeling. Through her work, she met Always Jane director Jonathan C. Hyde, who was inspired by her story.

“This wasn’t planned per se,” she explains. It was never supposed to be an Amazon series. It just kind of happened that way. It all started when I began modeling, and my mom encouraged me to start applying to agencies. I applied to agencies in New York and L.A., then I heard back from Slay Model Management, which is a trans modeling agency. They were having a worldwide competition to sign with them, and I was lucky enough to be one of 20 models to be put in. All the girls that were on the east coast met in New York City to have brunch and do an interview and photoshoot, and that is how I met Jonathan Hyde.”

Hyde was filming the competition’s process because nothing like it had ever been done before.

“He got to know my story and my family’s story, and he was inspired by it,” Noury says. “He had a big vision for it, so he offered to give me some cameras to take home to film myself. He wanted me to film myself for about two months leading up to the competition.”

After competing, which Noury describes as a “beautiful, light-hearted, and eye-opening experience,” she decided to keep on filming her daily life.

“I didn’t stop because at the time, I was going to be graduating high school, I was starting my modeling career, I was going through COVID, I was going to have my surgery by the end of the year, and I was deciding on what I wanted to do for college,” she says. “A lot was going on, and I wanted to have the memories. I had the equipment to do so. Jonathan saw a bigger picture as to what this could be, and no matter what, he wanted to tell our story. He fought to have our story told.”

While today’s political and social climate may not seem like the easiest time for a transgender teenager to grow up, when Noury came out at 14 years old, she never once felt unloved or rejected.

“I am very privileged in the fact that I am accepted by my family, extended family, friends, and community,” she says. “I didn’t have a hard time coming out. I had so much love and acceptance, and we took this time as a family to learn and educate ourselves. We went to therapists, went to medical professionals, started the process of changing my name, and learned new pronouns. It was a whole process. My family transitioned with me, as well as my friends and community. I was very lucky to receive that kind of support.”

Ultimately, Noury hopes that by opening up about her life, she can help other members of the trans community feel seen and heard.

“We started to have conversations and ask ourselves questions,” she says. “Like, do we really want to do this? Do we really want to put everything out there for everyone to judge and see? Putting yourself out there can be a big risk, and my parents supported me regardless. They were like, ‘Listen, if this is something you want to do, we’ll hold your hand and be there for you through thick and thin.’ We knew the reason why we were going into this. We wanted to show what a loving and supportive family can do not only for a transgender child, but any child. Regardless of age, gender, or whatever, we all need to be heard, accepted, loved, and supported.”

Currently, Noury is enrolled in the School of Visual Arts as a freshman and is studying film. She is still pursuing a modeling career and is also taking acting classes with the Howard Fine Acting Studio.

She recently appeared in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 fashion show.

“I was very lucky to be able to be a part of such an inclusive and positive environment where everyone is just celebrating each other’s bodies,” she says. “It was a feel-good situation where I got to wear Rihanna’s lingerie, strut my stuff, and meet a bunch of other cool models. It was such a surreal experience.”

As for what’s next for Noury’s career, she hopes to continue acting and modeling, but also hopes to someday create a foundation that will help and support trans youth.

All four episodes of Always Jane are now available on Prime Video, and they are streaming in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Stay up-to-date and connect with Noury by following her on Instagram or visit her official website.

Photos Courtesy of Megan King/Amazon Studios