Jack Knoxville

Jack’s Story

Jack Knoxville (He/They) is a multiple award-winning transformational leader for the progressive movement who has been fighting for LGBTQIA rights for over 20 years.

Despite spending his formative years unhoused, Jack is a disabled, multi-racial, melanated, Trans man who began organizing at the age of 22. 

In 2001, in the wake of the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard, Jack found himself living in Charleston, SC, where he began hearing rumblings about conservatives pushing a homophobic agenda to criminalize members of the LGBTQIA community through the use of antiquated sodomy laws and was outraged.

In response, Jack rounded up a collective of friends who were queer and or allied musicians to organize an awareness tour for LGBTQIA rights through mostly punk shows, which traveled across the state of SC, to educate members of the community about the pending legislative attacks.

After partnering with SC Pride, Jack then organized his own initiative called Free2Be, which attracted 140+ members in each of the major cities across the state. The group’s mission was ‘to fight violence and hate crimes through education and awareness’, the groups efforts earned him recognition by Rosa Parks and Morris Dees, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, through their Wall of Tolerance project which aimed to spotlight the new wave of civil rights leaders.

As he navigated adulthood, Jack launched multiple successful online ventures rooted in building community and culture, and often relied on the arts as a driver of change. These ventures included Queerd Magazine and The HomeGrownZine, as well as the publication of 5 of his own books by the age of 27.  

In 2015, Jack became the first Trans masculine candidate to run for political office in the Southern United States, when he ran for City Mayor of Knoxville, TN.

Although he did not win the election, Jack launched Trans Empowerment Project; a federally recognized 501(c)(3) to help move the 2Spirit, Trans, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Communities (2TIGE) out of crisis and into a space of empowerment, shortly after his run. 

Aside from being an activist Jack prides himself on his ability to envision and create scalable systems of support that are inclusive; especially through innovative uses of digital tools and through holding conversations and trainings that invite learners in to the solutions that we’re trying to build for. 

When he’s not working, you can often catch Jack spending time with his family, immersed in art, or spending time in nature. 

Qualifications & Awards

Jack is an outspoken, award winning activist and advocate whose career has spanned across several different key areas of interest for creating change, from Trans rights to LGBTQIA+ rights, Environmentalism, Reproductive Rights, Homelessness, and more.  

Experience

• Founder, The Homegrown Zine
• Founder, Free2Be
• Founder, Trans Empowerment Project
• Distributed Organizing Technology and Digital Communities Manager, Sierra Club
• Engagement Coordinator, Sierra Club
• Digital Organizer, Planned Parenthood Action Fund