No one said being different was easy. If anyone were able to agree with this statement, it would be Jessica Flatequal. Growing up, she had always treasured her relationships with the women in her life more than those with the men in her life, and never felt the same her friends did when it came to men. She finally realized she was not the same as the people she had always known.
Jessica was born on February 22, 1973 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She was born to father Robert Flatequal and mother Diane (Gannon) Flatequal. Her father is a Wonder Bread Man, and her mother is a retired artist. With Jessica still a baby, Robert and Diane moved their family to Mankato, Minnesota, where she still resides today. At a young age, Jessica’s parents divorced, and shortly thereafter, her mother remarried. The only siblings Jessica has are two stepsisters. Because Jessica and her mother had been alone for some time, they became very close. Because of this, she has always known that she should stick up for what she believes in and be the person she really is.
Jessica attended high school in Mankato, and continued on to college at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in art. In her freshman year of college, Jessica truly found herself. She came out as a lesbian after only a couple months away from home. She had battled thoughts of being a lesbian ever since she was a young teenage girl. Jessica went through many different struggles to find out who she truly is. She dated men because she was told this is what “normal” people do. After going through many different battles in hardships during her teenage years, she finally realized who she really was. When coming out to her mother, Jessica said it was a hard struggle, but of course they got through it, and they are still closer than ever. Her mother has truly accepted Jessica for the person she is—not someone she wishes she were.
Jessica currently works at Minnesota State Mankato as a program coordinator for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Center, a position she has held since 2004. After a sit-in in the Minnesota State, Mankato’s president’s office, the students involved in the LGBT program finally got the full-time help they had always wanted to run the center. Because Jessica had always been a strong leader in the community and was not afraid to stick up for herself and her beliefs, Jessica obtained this full time position. She enjoys helping people find who they are, and even helping people who have been recently affected by someone in their life coming out. She loves her position and plans to stay for many years to come.
| Videos | Transcripts |
|---|---|
| My Name Is...(WMV) | My Name Is... |
| Growing Up(WMV) | Growing Up |
| Rosie Panties(WMV) | Rosie Panties |
| Womanhood(WMV) | Womanhood |
| Dating: Now and Then(WMV) | Dating: Now and Then |
| Reality(WMV) | Reality |
| Coming Out(WMV) | Coming Out |
| Hateful World(WMV) | Hateful World |
| Current Occupation(WMV) | Current Occupation |
Note: Videos play best in Windows Media Player version 9 or newer.
Group Members Maria Callahan, Amanda Cramer, Ashlie Langfus, Nicole Miller
Minnesota State
University, Mankato
Mankato, MN 56001
1-800-722-0544
© 2005-2013 Minnesota State University, Mankato. Minnesota State University, Mankato is a member of
Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system and an affirmative action/equal opportunity university.
