Meredith Bacon Papers

Dr. W. Meredith Bacon joined the University of Nebraska Omaha faculty in 1976 and spent her UNO career as a political science professor, specializing in international relations, specifically Moldovan and Romanian politics. Throughout her career she has also served as an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2005, she became the first UNO faculty member to openly transition and changed her legal name from Walter Meredith Bacon, Jr., to W. Meredith Bacon.

Her transition announcement was met with support from colleagues, former students, family, friends, and various community members including religious leaders and gender equality advocates. Her transition also garnered attention from a variety of publications including People magazine and the Omaha World Herald. The latter publication reported her to likely be the first openly transgender person elected to serve as a faculty leader for a university or college in the United States. Dr. Bacon served three terms as the president of UNO’s Faculty Senate; her final term she served after her transition.

The Meredith Bacon collection has been organized into eight series with materials ranging from 1967 to 2016. These series include: Activism, Clippings, Correspondence, Decree of Name Change, Ephemera, Instruction, Photographs, and Research.

Dr. Bacon has been active in a variety of LGBTQIA+ organizations and initiatives including National Coming Out Day at UNO and the National Center for Transgender Equality. The Activism series touches on some of her initiatives and interests in various organizations such as the Equal Rights Amendment, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the Human Rights Campaign.

The correspondence and clippings materials may be of particular interest to researchers. Much of the correspondence materials are letters, cards, and emails of support for Dr. Bacon after her transition announcement, as well as the announcement itself. A message from Meredith’s wife Lynne to their church community is also included. Clippings of note are the interviews Meredith and Lynne did with People magazine and the Omaha World Herald, as well as a profile on Dr. Bacon from UNO’s The Gateway. The photograph materials show Dr. Bacon posing in various women’s fashions from 1973 to 1990. Some of these photos are undated and could have been taken prior to 1973 and after 1990.

The research materials make up the bulk of this collection. These materials vary in scope but the majority of the research remains in its original order. Dr. Bacon collected a large amount of research material on transgender topics including the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, transgender politics, gender identity, inclusion, and activism. Many of the research materials include handwritten notes and portions highlighted by Dr. Bacon.