Growing up, she struggled with gender dysphoria and read queer stories, including books by James Baldwin, for support.

[2] She attended Florida School of the Arts at St. Johns River State College before transferring to University of North Carolina where she obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Communications.

[7][8][9] Gay City News states the protests' purpose was to "underscore the importance of trans rights and condemn the ongoing killings of transgender people."

[4] Them wrote, "As the fight for safety and inclusion continues, Jean utilizes marches as a means of building coalitions, dismantling bigotry, and creating spaces for joy and celebration.

"[19] On June 24, 2021, Jean's conversation with Avram Finkelstein, a founding member of the AIDS art collective Gran Fury, was published in Interview.

[22][23] On June 26, 2022, Jean and other activists interrupted the New York City Pride Parade in honor of Donnell Rochester, an 18-year-old murdered by police in Baltimore.

[27][28] Activist Adam Eli shared footage of Jean's arrest and stated, "There is no question that the police targeted Qween and that this was their plan for the night.

[2] In 2021, Jean was named an Artist-in-Residence at Museum of Modern Art PS1 and curated the exhibit Black Trans Liberation: Memoriam and Deliverance.

[34][3] In 2021, a portrait of Jean taken by photographer, Christian Thane, was featured in the Queens Museum exhibit, Live Pridefully: Love and Resilience within Pandemics.