Wrestling with Pride, Jenna Burkert strives for authenticity in life

Multiple-time World Team member Jenna Burkert has been on a journey of self-discovery over the past several years, seeking to not only find her authentic self but also share it with the world.

If you’ve ever watched Jenna wrestle, you’re familiar with her aggressive style and sleeve of tattoos. If you keep up with her on social media, you’ll notice her candor and confidence, and you’ve probably also noticed that she is married to a woman.

For Jenna, it took time for her to feel comfortable sharing all those parts of herself with the wrestling community.

“I was extremely nervous to be my true self in front of the wrestling world,” she said. “When you put yourself out there, it leaves you completely vulnerable. If people don’t like you or don’t like something about you, they’re not afraid to tell you that—or I should say, they aren’t afraid to type it. I try not to worry about other people’s opinions of me, but I’m still human, so I was extremely nervous. That’s why it was kind of hard for me to find myself and discover who I truly am. In the wrestling world, that was a really intimidating task. I thought being different wouldn’t allow me to be a good role model because it didn’t match up with the white-picket-fence standard.”

This journey started for Jenna in 2014 when she was in Italy with the women’s freestyle World Team.

“As a group, we were walking around, trying to find a certain area,” she said. “Adeline (Gray) was leading the group and was telling us that we had to go a certain direction. I knew it was the wrong way, but this happened in 2014, so I was pretty young on the scene and too nervous to correct her. Sure enough, we ended up in the wrong place and we walked all this extra way for no reason. I remember thinking to myself that it was my fault because I didn’t have the guts to say it out loud. That’s when I realized that that’s not the person I want to be.”

That moment from six years ago was pivotal in spurring Jenna to find her voice. For the last few years, Jenna has worked with a sports psychologist and identified some core values to live by, which have been instrumental in her discovering a new sense of confidence.

“I’ve unlocked this level of confidence in myself that’s freed me to be comfortable in any room I step,” Jenna said. “I can own the room because I feel comfortable in my own skin and being who I am as this lesbian with tattoos and a lot of attitude. When I was younger, I was really fearful to walk into certain rooms because I felt like I had to present myself a certain way. But I’ve realized along the way that people still love who I am, even after revealing those parts of myself that I was scared to show.”

It hasn’t just affected her personal life. Jenna’s daily quest to be her authentic self has led to more success on the wrestling mat as well as in her Army career.

“In every situation I’m in, I have the confidence to say my thoughts, but I also have the humility to accept what others around me are saying,” she said. “Becoming a more confident wrestler has helped me in the Army, but also being in a leadership position in the Army as a sergeant and leading a group of soldiers from all walks of life has really helped me excel in my wrestling career.”

The wrestling community can be an intimidating place for someone who is a part of the LGBTQ community, and Jenna admits that she overthought and built up what the backlash might be like. But for her, she found acceptance and comfort to be herself in the wrestling room, which she notes is an indescribable feeling.

“For someone that’s struggling to come out, you don’t have to make some grand gesture and come out to everybody at once like you see in the movies. That’s not how real life works,” Jenna said. “Just remember that people love you for who you are, not who you love. This one part of you is not all of you, and everything that makes up who you are has worth and value in this world. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter the color of your skin, where you come from, who you love, we will all meet at the center of the mat.”

Over the last few weeks, several members of the wrestling community have shown an overwhelming amount of support and allyship for the LGBTQ+ community as the country celebrates the month of June as LGBT Pride Month.

“People don’t realize how much of an impact their support can mean to the LGBTQ community,” Jenna said. “It’s nice to see a lot of people in the wrestling world rise up and show their support in a lot of issues that our country is facing. It’s just a testament to how big of a difference one voice can make. Look at the stand Tony Ramos has made for the LGBTQ community. Now there are kids out there who know that there’s a Division I wrestling coach that supports athletes, no matter what. There are a lot people in the sport that just say, ‘oh, stick to wrestling.’ If that’s all you care about, you are doing a disservice to yourself. Yeah, we are athletes and our job is to wrestle, but what we have to say is important, too.”

Jenna’s message of striving to be your authentic self applies to every single person, not just the LGBTQ community. It may look different for everyone, but in the end, the journey leads to a beautiful place.

“There is a freedom in being yourself,” Jenna said. “It’s brought so much joy into my life, and if I hadn’t sought out that authenticity in myself, I may have never discovered the person I am today. I’m proud of who I am, I’m proud to be a soldier and I’m proud of who I’m married to.”