Mid-South Pride
Mid-South Pride is a non-profit corporation located in Memphis, Tennessee. Mid-South Pride was founded in May 2004, to take over the work formerly done by Memphis Pride. Mid-South Pride produces the annual Pride Parade, Festival and Picnic for Memphis as well as other events that reflect the history of Pride in the LGBT community.
Mid-South Pride is led by a 9-member, unpaid, board of directors and relies on volunteers and community support to product the annual LGBT pride events. One of the major elements that separates Mid-South Pride from other pride organizations is the requirement that all events must be paid in full, so that the organization never takes on more than it can actually pay for.
Mid-South Pride is members of the International GLBT Pride association, Interpride, and members of the International Festival and Events Association. IFEA
Mid-South Pride, Memphis Pride, and the Mid-South Pride logo are all owned by Mid-South Pride. Their use here has been with permission.
Gary Wilkerson, the founding President of Mid-South Pride and one of the Regional Directors for InterPride's Southern United States Region died on September 28, 2007. Sean Alexander and Kent Hamson are the current co-chairs.
In June 2008 Mid-South Pride brought Peterson Toscano, a former client of the Memphis-based ex-gay program Love in Action and an outspoken ex-ex-gay, back to Memphis to serve as a grand marshal of the pride parade and to perform.