NYC Pride, which hosts one of the two prominent marches on Pride Sunday in New York City, will have five grand marshals this year.
Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Stonewall Community Foundation executive director Elisa Crespo, drag artist Marti Gould Cummings, DJ Lina, and Trans formative Schools have been tapped to lead the NYC Pride March, which is scheduled to begin at noon on June 29. The other main march on Pride Sunday is the Queer Liberation March, which bars corporate or police involvement as part of an effort to return to the roots of Pride.
Jean-Pierre rose to national prominence in her capacity as former President Joe Biden’s press secretary, becoming the first Black person and queer woman to serve as press secretary. Born in Martinique, Jean-Pierre came of age in Queens and started her political career in New York City when she worked on Councilmember James Gennaro’s staff during his first stint as a city lawmaker. Jean-Pierre also worked in the Obama administration’s Office of Political Affairs.
Jean-Pierre, who was honored by the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City at the club’s “Defiant” awards night in January, said in a written statement that serving as grand marshal is “deeply personal” and “more than an honor — it’s a homecoming.”
“New York is where I found my voice, where I stepped into the light, and where I first discovered the strength of community as an openly queer person,” Jean-Pierre said. “Now, at a time when unity is more vital than ever, we march — hand in hand, arm in arm — not just in resistance, but in remembrance, in celebration, and in unshakable pride. We are here. We rise. We endure.”
Cummings, a veteran of the city’s queer nightlife and drag scene who has also used their voice as an activist, will serve as grand marshal four years after running for City Council in 2021 as the first out non-binary candidate to seek office in the city. Cummings’ community work has included serving on community boards and in various capacities with LGBTQ organizations, including the Ali Forney Center and Equality NY.
“Pride is a protest, it began as a riot, and we must hold onto that,” Cummings said in a written statement. “Trans people are being vilified and eradicated. As grand marshal, I am honored and will use this platform in any way that I can to bring awareness to the grave issues impacting the most vulnerable within our community.”
Crespo, who recently joined Stonewall Community Foundation after leading the statewide LGBTQ organization New Pride Agenda, made headlines in 2020 when she ran for City Council in the Bronx in a bid to become the first out trans city lawmaker. At the time, she told Gay City News that she felt it was “part of my responsibility to take up spaces and try to fulfill that void in a borough that is known as a boys’ club and one that is not particularly open-minded as other boroughs may be.”
Five years later, Crespo said she is “thrilled” to be a grand marshal in “the city that raised me.”
“My pride is rooted in resistance and love,” Crespo said. “In a world that tells us queer people we don’t belong, we must show up and demonstrate possibility models for the next generation”
Another grand marshal, DJ Lina, whose name is Lina Bradford, is also a native New Yorker who has worked with LGBTQ organizations, including GLAAD and SAGE. Bradford emerged in the New York Club Kids scene and became a DJ in the ‘90s.
“To hear that I was thought of by my community for such a huge honor is something I would’ve never ever imagined growing up,” DJ Lina said in a written statement. “I am humbled, honored, blessed and grateful for this opportunity to support and represent my community.”
Rounding out the list of grand marshals is Trans formative Schools, which is a free afterschool program focued on serving the needs of trans, queer, non-binary, and gender-expansive students ages 9-15.
“In a time when trans kids are a target, from your local school board to the White House, Trans formative Schools is honored that our trans students and trans teachers can lead this protest as the Youth Activist Grand Marshals,” Trans formative Schools’ leaders said in a written statement. “However, we need cisgender people to know that trans visibility isn’t enough — we need everyone to rise up and build a movement that uplifts and invests in trans lives, right now. Donate to trans led organizations — they know about ending transphobia because we live it every day.”
