Oral History Interview with Jolie McKenna, May 18, 2011

Jolie McKenna (b. 1961), who identifies as inter-sex and transsexual, is the executive director at the LGBT Center of Southeast Wisconsin in Racine and a part-time teacher for Women and Children’s Horizons, a domestic violence shelter, in Kenosha. McKenna discusses her education, work experience, transitioning from presenting as male to presenting as female, activism, and family. She describes fragmentation in the LGBT community along lines of identity, the isolation of LGBT people in the Racine-Kenosha area, and her hopes for the future.

Milwaukee Transgender Oral History Project University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries Milwaukee, Wisconsin Jolie McKenna Interviewed by Brice Smith May 18, 2011 at the LGBT Community Center of Southeast Wisconsin in Racine Transcribed by Matt Eidem Copyright © 2011 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. All rights reserved. Abbreviations: PFLAG - Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays PFund - Philanthrofund Foundation SHEBA - Sisters Helping Each other Battle Aids Brice Smith – BS Jolie McKenna – JM BS: Will you please state your name? JM: My name is Jolie McKenna. BS: All right, well thank you very much for participating in the Milwaukee Transgender Oral History Project. For starters what are your preferred gender pronouns? JM: I prefer “she” I have to say. You know I’m, I’m in the middle but probably “she.” BS: Okay. And how do you identify? JM: I identify as both an inter-sex person and a transsexual person. I’m