Out tennis legend Billie Jean King,
transgender rights activist Tyler Ford, HIV/AIDS activist Kenita
Placide and LGBT legal group Lambda Legal will serve as grand
marshals of New York City Pride, Heritage Pride, the group organizing
the city's 49th annual LGBT Pride parade, announced on
Wednesday.
This year's march is themed “defiantly
differently.”
"This year's selection of Grand
Marshals, bring forth the very essence of what it means to be
'Defiantly Different' in social and political unrest," said NYC
Pride March Director Julian Sanjivan. "King, Lambda Legal, Ford,
and Placide are defiantly brave, defiantly unique, and defiantly a
share of our wondrous LGBTQ+ community."
Billie Jean King, 74, is a former World
No. 1 professional tennis player. King has residences in New York
City and Chicago. She has been with her partner Ilana Kloss since
the late 80s and is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights.
Tyler Ford is a writer and social media
influencer who advocates for the rights of transgender and non-binary
people. Ford transitioned to male in college but now identifies as
agender. Ford is also the associate editor at Condé
Nast's LGBT community platform them.
(Related: Google,
GLAAD help Condé
Nast launch LGBT platform THEM.)
Kenita Placide is a human rights, HIV
and LGBT rights activist from the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia. She
is the executive director of the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for
Diversity and Equality (ECADE).
America's largest
LGBT Pride parade steps off at noon on Sunday, June 24.