Interview with Jessica Polacek

Jessica Polacek, a self-described “woman of transgender history,” recounts the stories of her life so far with great care in this oral history. Polacek has spent her life in the Upper Midwest, living mostly in Wisconsin and serving in the U.S. military for 24 years. During her time in the military, she was deployed to Iraq. Eventually discharged due in part to her questioning gender identity, Polacek now works for an LGBT center in LaCrosse, WI. She is deeply reflective in this interview, sharing painful experiences of familial estrangement, divorce, abuse and mental illness. She discusses the benefits and limits of the decision to allow transgender people to openly serve in the military. Despite significant hurdles, Polacek’s story is full of hope and compassion for others.

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Item Information:

Identifier: cz30ps92j
Collection: Audio and Video Clips and Transcripts
Institution: Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, University of Minnesota
Creator(s): Jenkins, Andrea
Polacek, Jessica
Publisher: University of Minnesota Minneapolis Libraries
Date Created: Aug. 17, 2016
Genre: Oral Histories
Transcriptions
Subject(s): Jessica Polacek
Veteran’s Administration hospital
Places: Wisconsin > La Crosse County > City of La Crosse > La Crosse
Topic(s): Army
Child abuse
Childhood
Christianity
Coming out
Divorce
Lesbians
Marriage
Mental disorders
Resource Type: Moving image
Text
Language: English
Related URL: https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/search?facets%5Bcollection_name_s%5D%5B%5D=Transgender+Oral+History+Project&q=transgender
Rights: Copyright undetermined
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