It’s five months away, but WEHOville’s readers and at least one member of the board of Christopher Street West are thinking about who should be the grand marshal at the LA Pride parade in June.
Tom Pardoe, a CSW board member, recently asked his Facebook friends their opinion. (Not one of them mentioned Maria Menounos, the television presenter and professional wrestler with no LGBT bona fides whose choice for Pride 2013 left gay Angelenos scratching their heads). Among the nominees offered by Pardoe’s friends: Laverne Cox, Robin Roberts, Parker Posey, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Jessica Lange, Barack Obama, Jason Collins, Miley Cyrus and Belle Poitrine.
Inspired by Pardoe, who told his followers that he would present their suggestions to the CSW board, WEHOville asked its 3,500 Facebook followers and their friends the same question on Tuesday. As of 2 p.m. today, we’d gotten suggestions from 51 people, with the overwhelming majority picking Laverne Cox for the grand marshal position.
Cox, whose latest claim to fame is a role in “Orange is the New Black” on Netflix, was born male. She was the first African-American transgender person to produce and star in her own TV show, VH1’s “TRANSform Me.”
Eighteen of the 51 people who commented recommended her. The distant runner-up was Jessica Lange, who has denied rumors that she is dating Sarah Paulson, a co-star in “American Horror Story,” which she has announced she is leaving. Lange, who is straight, has a large coterie of gay fans.
Among the others nominated were Robin Roberts, the Good Morning America anchor who recently came out as a lesbian; Hillary Clinton; Gene Roberts, the retired gay Episcopal bishop; Barack Obama, and Pope Francis.
CSW has turned down the City of West Hollywood’s offer of help in securing celebrities for the event, which has been criticized for the lackluster nature of its grand marshals. But if it gets cracking now, perhaps in this community obsessed with and populated by celebrities, it might stumble across a person of note with LGBT credentials who can helm LA Pride 2014.
WEHOville is eager to hear more suggestions from its readers, either through comments posted here or on our Facebook page.
Older (Lesbian) American – Athlete Extrodinaire – Diana Nyad!
Inspiration, Determination, Focused, Role Model, Successful Business Woman.
Local Southern California Resident.
Trains in Pasadena (Rose Bowl Aquatic Center)
Gives back to the community via swimming fundraisers
No who is she we can do better to find someone we all know come on guys we are the creative city Ellen sounds great some one in this city must have connections
ELLEN DeGeneres should be our Grand Marshall.
Frank Schaefer, the pastor who stood tall but was forced out by the United Methodist church for officiating at his gay son’s wedding—–he’s been offered a job at a California church
After Ms. Cox’s slap-down of Katie Couric, she’d get my vote as a grand marshal. But with all the various celebrities, news/media figures that have come out not to mention major celebrities who support the LGBT community right here in LA, I hope CSW (please rename this organization to LA Pride) scores a more deserving and prominent grand marshal.