2016 New York City Pride Grand Marshals Announced

Heritage of Pride named Subhi Nahas, Jazz Jennings and Cecilia Chung.

Heritage of Pride has announced that on Sunday, June 26, Subhi Nahas, Jazz Jennings and Cecilia Chung will be leading the 47th NYC Pride March.

Jazz Jennings is the 15-year-old honorary co-founder of the Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation and the youngest Grand Marshal in NYC Pride history. Since her first appearance with her family at age six on 20/20, Jazz has become one of the nation’s best known voices on the experiences of trans young people. Jazz currently stars in the TLC docu-series "I Am Jazz," returning on June 8.

Subhi Nahas is a Syrian refugee who co-founded the first LGBT magazine in Syria, Mawaleh. In 2015, Subhi addressed the U.N. Security Council on the plight of LGBT people under persecution in his home country. He continues to advocate for LGBT refugees around the world and is currently working with a group of LGBT refugees in Turkey, called “Tea and Talk.”

Cecilia Chung is an internationally recognized leader who has been advocating for HIV/AIDS awareness and care, LGBT equality and social justice for more than 30 years. As a founding producer of the San Francisco Trans March, Cecilia helped organize one of the world’s first and largest annual transgender events, which has since been replicated in cities across the U.S..

The 47th NYC Pride March will step off at noon on June 26, at 5th Avenue and 36th Street in Manhattan. The route proceeds through Midtown down 5th Avenue, before heading west into Greenwich Village, ending at Christopher and Greenwich Streets. In 2015, an estimated 2 million spectators lined the two-mile route.

“Our 2016 theme, ‘Equality Needs You,’ could not be better reflected than through Jazz, Subhi, and Cecilia,” said Julian Sanjivan, NYC Pride March Director. “In a post-marriage equality America, these leaders are ensuring that the barriers to LGBT people achieving true legal, health and social equality are being broken down.”


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