Emerson, Todd

Authors

Todd R. Emerson
Jonathan Schrock, University of Mississippi
Julie Enszer, University of Mississippi

Document Type

Video

Publication Date

12-6-2024

Abstract

Todd R. Emerson, in an oral history interview, details his life as a gay man living in Mississippi and his hard-fought battle to bring awareness and representation of gay, lesbian, and queer spaces to the state’s Gulf region between 1992 and 1994. Struggling his entire life to live as a straight man, Emerson, in 1988, embraced himself as gay and moved to California to begin a new life before contracting HIV and returning to Mississippi in 1992 to be near his children and to take part in an unexpected war to be free. Recounting his days of founding Gay and Lesbian Friendly (GL Friendly), which was one of the first LGBT+ community support groups in the state and the Gulf, and hosting the first documented gay parade in Ocean Springs in September 1993, Emerson reveals the triumphs and setbacks of the queer community during this time. At a time when the gay movement valued a living out and proud stance, Emerson highlights the difficulties of achieving this vision in the state, when so many desired to stay closeted in order to avoid scrutiny and reprisals for their sexuality.

Relational Format

video recording

Extent

89 min.

Comments

Additional files include: abstract, data sheet, field notes, photo. Transcript is available on request.

Rights

In copyright. For permission to duplicate, repost, or otherwise re-use these images, please contact the Invisible Histories Project: Mississippi.

Recommended Citation

Emerson, Todd R.; Schrock, Jonathan; and Enszer, Julie, "Emerson, Todd" (2024). Queer Mississippi (Complete Collection). 74.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/queerms/74

Accessibility Status

Audio or Video Captioning