James Pennington Interview

In October 2017, queer and non-binary psychotherapist James Pennington was interviewed in Omaha for the Queer Omaha Archives. After moving to Omaha in 2016 to be with their partner, James opened their first private practice in Omaha in the fall of 2017, Dream Again Therapy. James works primarily with LGBTQ+ clients, but also has experience working with those suffering from eating disorders, substance abuse issues, and in the area of suicide prevention. In this interview, James describes their childhood growing up in a repressed, conservative Christian family in Oklahoma, the process of losing their faith as they came to terms with their queer and trans identity, important individuals from their past and present, and struggles with memory loss from traumatic brain injuries. James also reflects on the impact of the Trump administration on their therapy clients, as well as the potential long-term consequences for the LGBTQ+ community.

James Pennington's interview is available on the Queer Omaha Archives website and in UNO Libraries' Archives and Special Collections.

This post is the first in a series sharing previews of the new oral history interviews gathered as part of LGBTQ+ Voices: The Queer Omaha Archives Oral History Project.

Support Oral Histories

We rely on external funding to conduct oral history interviews, so once we have exhausted our grant funding and private gifts made by community members, collecting new interviews will be paused until we are able to raise additional funding. We need to hear from community members soon to ensure your stories are captured, preserved, and available for future generations to learn from and enjoy. If you have been contacted by the archives and are considering sharing your story, we hope to hear from you!

If you would like to support continuing the collection of and access to oral history interviews, please consider making a donation to the Queer Omaha Archives or contact us to volunteer with the project.

About Oral History and the Queer Omaha Archives

From the first conversations between students, faculty, community members, and archivists about creating the Queer Omaha Archives, there were plans to include an oral history component in the collecting initiative. Oral history has the ability to share the memories of people and communities who lived through those events with the present and future through the voices of people from our communities. LGBTQ+ Voices: The Queer Omaha Archives Oral History Project is currently collecting oral history interviews from members of the greater Omaha LGBTQ+ communities, sharing their wide-ranging experiences with their fellow Nebraskans and the world through the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Queer Omaha Archives website.

About the Queer Omaha Archives

The Queer Omaha Archives is part of UNO Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections and officially launched in 2016. The Queer Omaha Archives collects and preserves materials relevant to the LGBTQ+ community in the region. Archives & Special Collections' material is available for the university community and general public at both the Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library and online.

Visit the Omaha Oral History Blogs to learn more.