Jenna Fischetti is an American transgender activist whose work has been closely connected with the fight for equality and dignity for transgender people in Maryland. As the founder of TransMaryland, she helped build a grassroots organization dedicated to providing information, education, support, advocacy, and community resources for transgender and gender-nonconforming Marylanders. She also became a familiar voice in the state's debate over transgender rights, speaking directly to legislators, the media, and the public about the discrimination faced by her community. Jenna's activism grew out of personal experience. In 2004, she was fired from her job at a Maryland car dealership after her employers discovered that she lived as a woman outside of work. By 2009, she was living full-time as a woman, and she later studied government and public policy at the University of Baltimore. Rather than allowing discrimination to push her out of public life, Jenna turned her experience into a reason to become involved in advocacy. Before founding TransMaryland, Jenna was deeply involved with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB). From 2006 to 2011, she served as facilitator of its Gender Identity Groups, at the time helping what was described as the largest peer-based transgender group in Maryland. Through this work, she met and supported many members of the state's transgender community and became increasingly involved in organizing and political advocacy.
Jenna became particularly visible during the battles over Maryland legislation concerning gender identity discrimination. In 2011, she testified before the Maryland Senate in opposition to legislation that she believed did not provide adequate protection for transgender people, and TransMaryland organized rallies and other grassroots efforts around the issue. She argued that transgender people needed to be present at the table themselves rather than having other organizations speak for them. Her activism also extended beyond legislation. Jenna participated in campaigns surrounding violence against transgender people and helped organize Baltimore's Transgender Day of Remembrance events. In 2012, TransMaryland organized a press conference and community vigil in Baltimore to remember transgender people who had lost their lives to violence and prejudice. Jenna was also a contributor to The TransAdvocate, where she wrote about transgender rights, discrimination, politics, and the broader LGBT movement. Her writing reflected the same philosophy that shaped her community activism: transgender people should not be treated as an afterthought within the struggle for LGBT equality, but should have their own voices, leadership, and representation.
In this interview, Jenna speaks about her journey, her work with TransMaryland, the challenges facing transgender people in Maryland, political activism, community organizing, the importance of transgender representation, and her hopes for the future. Her message is ultimately one of empowerment: transgender people should not wait for others to speak on their behalf. They must have a voice in shaping the laws, institutions, and communities in which they live.
Monika: Today, I have the pleasure and honor of speaking with Jenna Fischetti, a remarkable woman whose advocacy has made a lasting impact on the transgender community in Maryland and beyond.
Jenna: Hello Monika! Thanks for having me.
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| With friends after a local support group meeting. |
Monika: You have been deeply involved in the fight for transgender equality in Maryland. Which campaigns or projects stand out to you as real successes?
Jenna: Let me first thank individuals like Jessica Xavier, Alyson Meiselman, Donna Cartwright, Falina Laron, Cydne’ Kimbrough, Lauren Stokeling, Monica Yorkman, Jean-Michel Brevelle, Frannie O’Grady, Dana Beyer, Laura Hart, Owen Smith, Mara Drummond, Alex Hickcox, Caroline Temmermand, Sharon Brackett, Ezra Towne, J.D. Rosario, Keith Thirion, and so many others who have contributed to the advancement of rights and acceptance of trans Marylanders. I am blessed to have worked with many of them. To name any successes would be to name the community’s successes.
Monika: Back in 2004, you lost your job at a car dealership once your employers learned you were transgender. More than a decade later, have things improved for transgender workers, or is discrimination still a daily reality?
Jenna: Monika, in 2011 the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released the results of their groundbreaking survey. The findings for Maryland were alarming. 71 percent of respondents reported experiencing harassment or mistreatment on the job. Eighteen percent had lost a job, another 18 percent had been denied a promotion, and 35 percent reported not being hired. Overall, 42 percent had experienced some kind of adverse employment action, including being fired, not being hired, or being denied a promotion. The data from Maryland made it clear that we still had a great deal of work to do.
Monika: Beyond employment, what other issues sit at the top of the transgender advocacy agenda right now?
Jenna: Maryland has multiple points of concern facing the transgender community. First of which are statewide non-discrimination protections in the aforementioned employment, yet also in housing, credit, and public accommodations.
Monika: Is there a legislative push right now to get those protections written into law?
Jenna: To that extent, the Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality has been working with Senator Rich Madaleno (D-20) to reintroduce the Fairness for All Marylanders Act, as he did for us in 2013. We had the largest state lobby day in Maryland for transgender concerns. We are hoping to break that record this year.
It’s critical to engage our community and our allies in the build-up to the passing of this legislation, as we will need to pivot that effort to pass a bill into an effort to defend it against a referendum. Any initiatives which ignore that possibility are fool-hearted.
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| Transgender Day of Remembrance 2012 (via YouTube). |
Monika: Beyond legislation, where else is Maryland falling short for transgender residents?
Jenna: A very close second is complete access to all necessary health care. New regulations make it illegal to discriminate based on gender identity in access to service; however, coverage by insurers fails to consistently meet any and all medically necessary procedures. No trans person should be denied treatment or a procedure that is offered to treat their specific health needs.
Next, and possibly as important, are revisions to the current documentation policies with respect to birth certificates and state-issued IDs and driver’s licenses. Across the United States, we have seen other states enact sensible and proper birth certificate and ID laws or policy changes, making it easier for transgender Americans to live authentic lives.
Monika: How do you feel about the way transgender stories have been told so far in film, television, and books?
Jenna: Prior to the new millennium, we faced horrible stereotyping in all forms of media.
Starting with 1996’s “Different for Girls,” then “Boys Don’t Cry” in 1999, and “Southern Comfort” in 2001, we started seeing roles like Bree in “Transamerica” and 2011’s “Gun Hill Road,” starring the talented Esai Morales as a father to Harmony Santana’s transgender character. Harmony won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress. She herself is one of the first transgender actors to actually be allowed to take on roles depicting transgender characters.
Monika: What about the small screen? Has television kept pace with film when it comes to transgender representation?
Jenna: I’m not a fan of daytime drama, however, I have to admit, I was riveted to “All My Children” to see how they would handle a trans portrayal in the character “Zoe.” Her character lasted nearly six months and, all in all, left a positive impression, as much as a daytime drama can.
So with respect to fiction, we are finally beginning to see transgender actors and actresses take on some powerful roles. I had the pleasure of meeting Laverne Cox during the Trans People of Color Coalition meet-up at Philadelphia’s Trans Health Conference last June. On the other side of the camera, we have Lana Wachowski coming out in Hollywood in an amazingly supportive way.
Monika: And beyond fiction, whose real, lived story stands out to you the most?
Jenna: From a non-fiction standpoint, I love Janet Mock. She is an absolutely incredible personality who happens to be transgender. There are more and more transgender stories being told. Each time this happens, we all benefit. We are seeing more positive portrayals of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in most of the media.
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| With Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, with whom Jenna worked together. |
Monika: Transgender advocacy so often gets folded into the broader LGBT movement. Given that the T comes last in that acronym, does the transgender community still manage to make its own voice heard within that coalition?
Jenna: I believe the transgender community has HAD to promote its own cause within the LGBT communities (plural). From Stonewall to today, there has been cis-washing (diluting LGBT branding and imaging to exclude or limit non-cisgender presences) in mainstream gay politics and advocacy, which is only recently abating. At the core of all homophobia and transphobia are fears based on gender non-conformity.
We, the LGBT communities, can ill afford to splinter, especially when the taproot of that common peril, our collective gender non-conformity, has been our movement’s perpetual common thread. So within the LGBT communities, we should promote our commonality.
Monika: Can the transgender community make similar headway working outside the wider LGBT coalition, on its own terms?
Jenna: I believe the transgender community is also capable of promoting its own cause outside the LGBT communities. The first requirement is that as a community we recognize social status or financial windfalls do not equate to hierarchical leadership positions.
That’s called elitism. Too many voices of color get excluded in this self-seeking endeavor. Popularity does not always produce vision and unity.
Community empowerment, not disenfranchisement, is the path we must follow. One cannot be a leader if one cannot enjoin with others and lift them up, for progress.
I’m on the backside of life. This community’s hope resides in its youth. I believe in all voices at the table, assuming best intentions, and consensus-building. I have learned some invaluable lessons in those areas along the way.
Monika: Harvey Milk became a defining symbol for gay activism in the sixties and seventies. Is there a transgender figure in America today whose impact compares to his?
Jenna: Harvey Milk was a unique symbol of gay ascension in society, made evermore notable because of his tragic murder. I hope the LGBT community will not see another person fill such a role, that of a martyr. Yet I believe we can use all the visionaries we are capable of elevating.
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| With other national transadvocates at Creating Change 2012. |
Monika: How involved are you in politics yourself? Do lobbying campaigns take up much of your time, and do you believe transgender women can genuinely shape political outcomes?
Jenna: I believe every human being is the most singular unit in our political system. It is our civic responsibility to be political, not just for our sake, but for our fellows’ sake too. So whether one is transgender or not, no matter one’s race or creed, national origin, or sexual orientation, we have a significant part to play. I am currently a steering committee member for the Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality. Building relationships with elected officials is an extremely important part of the political system. Anyone, absolutely anyone, can and does make a difference.
Monika: Going through your own transition, did you have transgender role models you looked up to along the way?
Jenna: Wow. Yes. When I first gained access to the internet in the late 90s, I was looking for people like me. There were many I would find who seemed to project an authentic sense of self I was seeking. Nearby me, in the Washington DC area, I remember seeing or meeting folks like Christina Kahrl (currently a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and a sportswriter for ESPN, and a recent GLAAD board member), and women like Brooke Poley (a three-time Emmy® Award winning lighting designer, director, and photographer) who I befriended through the local TGEA galas.
I had a very close friend with whom I moderated a support group, Mara Drummond (a highly successful software engineer who wrote the current air traffic control software in use today), who showed me how to transition with dignity.
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| Local empowerment rally in front of the Supreme Court. |
One can never underestimate the value of mentoring and holding oneself to a higher standard, to be an example of the power we collectively possess.
There are countless others, like Dr. Danielle Crossley (the first public school principal in New York State to transition, and subsequently be fired for it), who I met while she lived in Baltimore, or folks like Lana Moore from Ohio (who I met in Atlanta at a Southern Comfort Conference), who is now a board member of GLAAD doing incredible work.
Each of those strong women has been a godsend, and I would be all day listing all of them. I am extremely blessed for the path they’ve blazed and for showing me how to carry myself.
Monika: Looking back, what was the hardest part of coming out for you?
Jenna: Being the last to know. Seriously, the hardest thing about coming out was the fear of rejection from my children. I would lay my own life down for them, so anything that might trouble them in any way, I sought to avoid. Today, I have a much deeper relationship with all three of them because I’m at true peace inside. They sense that, and we all benefit.
Monika: What role does love play in your life these days?
Jenna: For many years I was conditioned by society to believe I was sick, demented, perverse, or even a freak. Under such conditions, one cannot love themselves, let alone even consider loving anyone else. In such a state, I drank excessively and even found stopping my alcohol and drug consumption impossible on my own willpower.
When I did get help, I found what true, absolute love was. It means having a deep faith in a God of my understanding, who solves all of my problems. It means seeking selfless, honest, forgiving, and faithful solutions to any of my relationships. Love is not an emotion; it is a state of being which can only exist for me when I work to expel selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, and fearful notions and beliefs.
I believe the greatest expression of love one human being can offer another is to pray for that other person to receive all the health, serenity, peace of mind, well-being, and joy one would want for themselves or their own family. That’s a true love of one’s fellow. I do this for people I’m bothered by, and in time, I grow to love them. I’ll never be perfect at that, but love comes through seeking. So, yeah, it’s important to me!
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| In “Transgender Transition” (2012) via YouTube. |
Monika: Do you have a passion for fashion? What does your everyday style look like, and are there any designers, colors, or trends you gravitate toward?
Jenna: Yeah! When I was younger, slimmer, and could fit into all of those fashionable clothes, I would really go for it. I’ve always had an eye for classic simplicity in what I wore. Any of the dozen or so friends who have known me for nearly as many years know that about me.
Today, as a full-time university student, I have a different take on fashion. Comfort has become paramount, but I stick to the classics: v-neck knit sweaters, fashion scarves, stylish denim, and my secret footwear are a series of Skecher Go-Walks (brown and black suede dress up any pair of jeans). I leave the couture for my dear friend Brielle Echo Whitney, of the Brooklyn Whitneys. Her stash of exquisite fashion is legendary in sixteen states and several countries.
Monika: Plenty of transgender women eventually write their memoirs. Has that idea ever crossed your mind?
Jenna: I’m still writing my story, that is to say, I’m still living life. I would rather help others in the process of writing their stories too, through living it to the fullest. I think the memoir is overrated unless it serves as a guide to others in self-fulfillment. If I live a good life, I’ll have a good eulogy. That’s good enough for me.
Monika: What comes next for you, and where do you picture yourself five to seven years from now?
Jenna: Well, in five to seven years, I hope the money doesn’t run out before I finish law school! LOL. Seriously, I live my day, as all of my days, one at a time, that’s how the good Lord serves them up to me. I make plans, but don’t plan on results, life happens, and plans change.
However, I hold a sincere belief that any work in the area of eradicating poverty through self-improvement, greater access to services, improved transit options, or even urban renewal and sustainability projects, set out to share the love of one person for another, is worthy of my consideration and energy. I have no idea what God has in store for me. I’m willing to be patient and follow His lead.
Monika: Would you describe yourself as a happy woman today?
Jenna: No, I’m not happy. I am blessed, fulfilled, and full of gratitude. Happiness is a temporary byproduct of a favorable situation. I believe I have been afforded something greater, and I want to help foster that in others.
Monika: Jenna, thank you so much for sharing your story and your time with me.
Jenna: Thank you, Monika!
All the photos: courtesy of Jenna Fischetti.
© 2013 - Monika Kowalska
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