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Jennifer Dane interview
12023-03-22T15:29:44+00:00Jason Higgins b37c4072bc57250df5afb301955a9262a5b86f2113Jennifer Dane, "Crossing the Military Civilian Divide," interviewed by Dr. Jason A. Higgins, Jan. 20, 2023, Washington D.C.. "Crossing the Military-Civilian Divide" project is part of a 4-VA Collaborative research project by Dr. Jason A. Higgins, postdoctoral fellow in digital humanities, and Andre Taylor, oral historian at the College of William and Mary. Special thanks to our three research assistants Leena Alsayab, Madison Cholewa, and Gabrielle Wells, who are undergraduate students and recent graduates of Virginia Tech.plain2023-03-27T16:28:10+00:00Madison Cholewaa93e66da2f25c2983f6186bae54dc39738997d4b
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1media/Jennifer Dane USAF photo.jpegmedia/Jennifer Dane and President Biden Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz.jpeg2023-01-19T15:45:34+00:00Jason Higgins b37c4072bc57250df5afb301955a9262a5b86f21Jennifer Dane52Jennifer Dane, Crossing the Military-Civilian Divide, by Jason A. Higginsimage_header2023-04-27T17:58:50+00:00Madison Cholewaa93e66da2f25c2983f6186bae54dc39738997d4b
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1media/Jennifer Dane USAF photo.jpegmedia/Jennifer Dane and President Biden Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz.jpeg2023-01-19T15:45:34+00:00Jennifer Dane52Jennifer Dane, Crossing the Military-Civilian Divide, by Jason A. Higginsimage_header2023-04-27T17:58:50+00:00While most teenagers her age were preoccupied with band or cheering on their high school's football team under the Friday night lights, Jennifer Dane was struggling with figuring out her own identity.
Born on September 12th, 1987, Dane grew up in a small, west Texas town -- a place that easily proved difficult to find one's identity. With little exposure to members of the LGBTQ+ community and a lack of representation in the media of who she wanted to be, as a junior in high school, Dane's world came crashing down. Forced to go in and out of the closet, Dane struggled externally and internally as she experienced a lack of support and acceptance from those around her, including her own family, as well as the challenge of integrating her religious and sexual identities. All during a very pivotal point in her life.
Wanting to pursue higher education but lacking the means to, and wanting to serve her country, Dane enlisted in the United States Air Force on March 16th, 2010. Fulfilling her goal of working in intel, Dane worked as an intelligence analyst focused on geopolitical relations, terrorism, and threat vulnerability issues. Dane was also able to fulfill her educational goals while serving, earning a Master's degree in both Criminal Justice and Educational Policy. Dane was honorably discharged after serving six years on March 15th, 2016.
Serving During "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy Era
.now serves as the CEO fo the Modern Military Association of America, the nation's largest non-profit organization working toward advancing fairness and equality for the LGBTQ+ military and veteran community.
In her interview, Jennifer Dane talks about her life growing up in a small town in West Texas and her struggles with her identity as she came out in an unaccepting place. She recalls of her transition into the Air Force as a member of the LGBTQ+ community during the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy era put in place by the Clinton Administration, as well as her own experiences with military sexual assault and trauma. She explains how she struggled with her mental health while working as an intelligence analyst, what her transition as like coming out of the military, and her educational goals.
A lot of her work today surrounds preventing military sexual trauma and advancing equality within the military for members of the LGTBQ+ community. In her role as CEO of Modern Military Association of America, Jennifer speaks to of all the advocacy the organization does, including legislation wins, policy changes within the VA healthcare system, and giving back to the LGBTQ+ and various other minority communities within the military and beyond. She finishes her interview with a little more about her everyday life, her future plans as a advocate and as a hopeful candidate for Senator of Arizona, her family life now, and ended with her own personal message on what she has learned and how to pass it on.