Todd R. Emerson is a Mississippi Gulf Coast LGBTQ advocate and community organizer. A graduate of Gulfport High, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at 17 and later founded Gay and Lesbian Friendly (GL Friendly). He organized Ocean Springs and Mississippi's first documented gay parade in 1993. In 1994, he and Luis Cintron applied for a marriage license in Ocean Springs-a local act of courage later recognized as part of Mississippi's marriage equality history.His life and advocacy are featured in a 2024 oral history within the University of Mississippi's Queer Mississippi Studies collection. A father of three daughters, Todd is also a proud grandfather of twelve and great-grandfather of three. He has lived in Texas since 1995 and has been married to Daniel Gene Hill since 2015.