Photos: Lifelong Republican transitions to new party, years after gender reassignment surgery
Photos: A lifelong Republican and Nebraska native transitions to a new party, years after gender reassignment surgery
Veteran deputy district attorney in Los Angeles Jessie McGrath, 63, of Omaha, Neb., works from her home in Omaha in Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. McGrath works in LA and is also a resident of Nebraska. McGrath bought a home in a specific district to help fight for trans rights in Nebraska.
Jessie McGrath sits with one of her children at her home, talking about lunch plans for the day in Omaha on Sept. 29. McGrath says "for me, the biggest fear I had was coming out to my children. ... They were unsure of why I was having them over and thought that I was going to tell them that I was sick. I think they were relieved when I told them I was trans and not dying of cancer."
Jessie McGrath, 63, of Omaha stands with an AR-15鈥搒tyle rifle at her home. "If you say that guns are only meant for killing people, then all of mine are defective because they have never done that. And I pray to God they never do," says McGrath.
Jessie McGrath points to a photograph of herself on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, when she graduated law school as Jeff McGrath, in Lincoln, Neb. "For me, transitioning was the most difficult thing I have ever done but it has also been one of the most rewarding things I have experienced in life. I have absolutely no regrets and I have no desire to go back to being the sad and miserable person I had become prior to my transition."
Jessie McGrath, 63, of Omaha applies makeup and prepares for the day by plucking her eyebrows. McGrath says, "I would have loved to have been able to transition when I was 6 and just grow up as a girl. ... I mean, I played football and hate football. I did not want to play football, but I was expected to."
Joe Pick, left, Jessie McGrath, center, and Karin Waggoner, right, cheer when Democratic vice presidential candidate, Tim Waltz, speaks during a debate watch party in Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.
A collection of political buttons fill a board at the home of Jessie McGrath in Omaha. "I grew up in a very Republican household, says MCgrath. ... He was the first president I ever met and the recipient of my first vote for a presidential candidate."
Fabric and leather belts, top, and ammunition, bottom, sit on shelves of Jessie McGrath's closet in Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. McGrath says, "I look at my Amazon order history, and I went from ordering gun parts to bras."
Jessie McGrath looks out to a field of corn during sunset in Omaha on Oct. 3. McGrath says "I knew from a young age that I was different. But in the '60s and '70s, we really didn't have a name for it. ... I was able to block it out for long periods of time, or so I thought."
Jessie McGrath (center with hat) cheers as she attends the Democratic National Convention as a delegate in Chicago on Aug. 19.
Jessie McGrath holds a pistol after shooting at a gun range with her friend in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. "I grew up around firearms and have had guns my entire life. In the army I was a unit supply clerk/armorer."
Jessie McGrath drives near trees in a corn field in Malmo, Neb., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. McGrath says "Nebraska is my home. My family has been here since 1886 and I graduated from high school, college and law school in Nebraska. I used that public school education to secure a job with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office where I have been a prosecutor for over 36 years. I have not been shy about my love for my home state, frequently mentioning that I am from the very small town of Max."
Jessie McGrath (right) and Michael Marcheck walk out of a gun range in Omaha on Oct. 3. "I am a lifetime member of the NRA. Although I do not agree with many of their activities, I do like getting the monthly magazine," McGrath says.
Jessie McGrath walks out of the women's bathroom at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Neb., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. McGrath said when she was testifying against LB575, "I actually used it (the women's restroom) with a number of you senators today, and I don't think that the world has come to an end, has it?"
Jessie McGrath, right, trains Michael Marcheck, left, the proper way to hold, load and shoot a gun while standing in her kitchen before going to a shooting range in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. McGrath says she wants to train members of the LGBTQ Nebraskans how to shoot a gun, so they can be prepare if they ever need to use one. "I also have a lot of kids and I wanted all of them to be able to shoot and to know gun safety requirements."
Jessie McGrath stands in a soy bean farm in Malmo, Neb., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. McGrath, who grew up on a farm in Max, Neb., she says she feels nostalgic on her friend Ashley Swartz's farm. McGrath says that "you can take the girl out of the farm but can't take the farm out of the girl."
Jessie McGrath adjusts her LGBTQ+ pride flag hanging from her homes front door in Omaha on Sept. 29. "I'm getting involved in the political process and trying to raise awareness of the issues facing the trans community. ... I'm meeting with members of the community to discuss how we can make things better."
Ashley Swartz, left, gives Jessie McGrath, right, a tour of Swartz'a farm in Malmo, Neb., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Swartz has been a transgender farmer in rural Nebraska for most of her life.
Jessie McGrath talks to a transgender teenager along with her mother, who is a member of the Rainbow Parents of Nebraska in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. McGrath says "I hope that the future of trans rights is that we will no longer be stigmatized as being inferior or mentally ill and that we can have full participation in society without being marginalized. I hope that eventually being trans will be seen as just another one of the many variations of development that exists within the human species."
Jessie McGrath, 63, of Omaha, Neb., takes an injection of estrogen in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. McGrath says "the research I did resulted in the discovery of a whole new way of looking at myself. I discovered that I wasn't alone. ... Reading their stories and seeing their videos made me realize that I didn't have to suffer in silence. I was 53 years old and I now knew that I was trans. It explained so much of what I had been through and it somewhat scared me."
A decade ago, Nebraskan Jessie McGrath began a physical transition to make her body match her gender identity. More recently, she underwent a political transformation.聽