We want folks to feel their best and look their best.
Jessica Mirkes adamantly believes everyone deserves to look good and to feel good, no matter who they are.
That’s why Mirkes, the director of education for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, came to Milwaukee Area Technical College on Friday, March 28, for a pride clothing swap, where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, ally/asexual (LGBTIA+) youth could acquire fashionable clothing and accessories for high school prom or other formal events.
“We want folks to feel their best and look their best,” Mirkes said. “Our goal is to create a safe space for youth. A space for joy and a place where people can celebrate who they are and boost their self-esteem.
“All youth deserve to feel recognized and supported in a way that is personally authentic,” Mirkes added. “Clothing empowers people to visually express who they are so they can navigate the world with confidence.”
For four hours at the swap, queer-identifying students from across the city browsed through racks of elegant evening dresses, high-end shoes, luxurious suits, spiffy shirts, silk ties and other accessories. The clothes were donated to Planned Parenthood for the event, which was held in MATC’s Create Gallery.
Nice Hair MKE offered free haircuts and styling, while Courage MKE, an advocacy group that supports LGBTQ+ youth across Wisconsin, sponsored makeup and skin care tips for transitioning students.
Along with the clothes, Planned Parenthood and other organizations offered students information on LGBTQ+ resources, voting, relationship support, gender-affirming care and ways to keep themselves and their partners safe, healthy and strong. MATC recruiters provided information about the college.
“This event helps us engage future students and the community at large about the positive things happening at MATC,” said Mark Boergers, associate dean of the college’s Creative Arts, Design and Media Academic and Career Pathway. “It also shows that MATC is an inclusive space, welcoming to all.”
There have been various clothing swaps held in the past three years, but this is the very first one directed to youth for prom and formal events, Mirkes said. Milwaukee photographer Jamie Robarge, who was at the swap, held a gender-affirming clothing swap at her studio in June 2023. In 2024, she partnered with Planned Parenthood to host a second swap.
Planned Parenthood was excited to partner with MATC to hold the swap, Mirkes said. “This campus is a great spot. It’s centrally located, and by having it at MATC, students also get to see what college looks like,” she said.
And MATC was thrilled to have the event on campus, said Sara Cappaert, who is active in the college’s Pride Alliance affinity group.
“I believe it’s really powerful that MATC stands strongly with our community,” said Cappaert, the college’s manager of scholarships. “I am proud we can offer a place where every student and every person feels like they belong.”
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
