John Perkins

Board Secretary

Festival Chair

Pronouns: he/him/his

John Perkins has lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast all of his life and currently lives in Waveland. He serves as Board Secretary and Festival Chair. John became an activist for the LGBTQ+ community due to the bullying he faced in school for being gay. This is something he wants to help end so no other child has to face the same discrimination.

In 2013, he co-founded The Rainbow Center, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group here on the coast. The Rainbow Center worked to bring change and support to South Mississippi. From 2014 to 2022 he produced the Facebook page CAYA - "Come As You Are." CAYA was a news and information page that supported and promoted diversity. Since 2015, he has served as Social Media Director for The Mississippi Stonewall Democrats, an LGBTQ+ political group.

John is a founding member of Gulf Coast Equality. He served as President of the organization from 2017-2019. During this time, under his leadership, the organization grew from an idea to become what is today, a driving force for LGBTQ+ equality, outreach, and support here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This is something he is very proud of.

He has served as Festival Chair of Gulf Coast Equality Festival since its organization in 2017. This is a yearly event to support equality and diversity for the LGBTQ+ community and our allies. John and his committee members have put on very successful events each year. He hopes the festivals will be bigger and better going forward.

John is very skilled in organizing and planning. He is always ready to help with any Gulf Coast Equality events and to help work in the community. John has taken part in events with The Campaign for Southern Equality, Mississippi Rising Coalition, HRC of Mississippi, and the ACLU of Mississippi. Over the years he has helped organize, and participated in, several major events for the LGBTQ+ community here in the state of Mississippi which include the following:

2013 We Do Campaign for Marriage Equality - Hattiesburg

2014 We Do Campaign for Marriage Equality - Jackson

2014 Bay St Louis LGBTQ+ City Resolution

2014 Waveland LGBTQ+ City Resolution

2014 National Gay Blood Drive - Gulfport

2014 Steven Palazzo Marriage Equality Protest - Gulfport

2014 SB2681 Religious Freedom Bill Rally - Jackson

2014 We Are Rally Mississippi Religious Freedom Bill - Jackson

2016 Pulse Candlelight Vigil - Biloxi

2016 HB-1523 Rally Religious Freedom Bill - Gulfport

2016 HB-1523 Rally Religious Freedom Bill - Jackson

2016 No Hate in Our State Rally - Bay St Louis

2022 Club Q Candlelight Vigil - Biloxi