John and Jeff applied for a marriage license in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on July 12, 2013 as part of the WE DO Campaign. You can read their story below as told by Jeff.
John and I will celebrate our first anniversary together in September. Though we haven’t been with each other for long, we know that our hearts belong together.
I met John after he had gone on a date with my former roommate and the moment we first saw each other, a spark ignited. We knew at that moment that we had found forever.
His kind soul and generous heart have captivated me in a way that no other person ever could. His love for his family and his career choice to care for our elder generation lets me know that he is a very special man.
We have survived so much in the time we have known each other. He has been there for me during the loss of lifelong friends. He held my hand the day I met my daughter. We fought together and cleaned each others wounds after a person tried to kill us while we were on vacation in Memphis. He has helped me to know myself better. Everything that he is has helped me to be a better man. I don’t know how I’ve lived so long without him.
While I am the loud, abrasive, opinionated mess that I become from time to time, he is the calming force that keeps me grounded. He is the peace inside me.
When the day comes that marriage is allowed in Mississippi, my life will be honored to become Jeff Perkins. I just can’t wait until that day comes.
And John tells his half of the story:
I am from the small town of Waveland, Mississippi. I had given up on trying to find love here. Then, I was introduced to Jeff White. I met Jeff about a month after he moved to Waveland from Memphis, Tennessee. Jeff has a warm, loving, funny, personality that I fell in love with on the day I met him. I knew this would be the person I want to spend my life with. After that, we were always together. Just like the song “Opposites Attract” can sum us up. I love how he is always ready to stand up for himself at all times. That I truly admire him for. He never met a stranger. We have stuck together through good times and the bad. We enjoy each others company and have gone to concerts, art shows, pride, and spent many quiets evenings together. I am proud that we participated in WE DO and look forward to the day our work will help other GLBT couples in Mississippi and around the country be able to legally get married and share the life and love they have. I look forward to the day I can call Jeff my husband. He will always have my heart.
Send John and Jeff a message of support here.
Six couples (including John and Jeff) applied for a marriage license in Hattiesburg on July 12, 2013 as part of the WE DO Campaign. Read coverage from the Hattiesburg American here.
The WE DO Campaign involves LGBT couples requesting – and being denied – marriage licenses in their hometowns across the South in order to call for full equality under federal law and to resist unjust state laws.
