Seattle Out & Proud announce local Grand Marshals for 2012 Pride Parade

21 year old activist Ben Crowther is one of the selected Grand Marshals for Seattle Out & Proud's 2012 Parade. Photo: Adam Bouska/NOH8

Seattle Out & Proud, the organizers of the Seattle Pride Parade, have just announced their choices for the Grand Marshals for the 2012 parade happening Sunday, June 24, 2012. The big name for this year is Governor Christine Gregoire, being honored in her final year of office and for her work in the passage of the Marriage Equality Bill in the Statehouse this year.  Other individuals being honored include 21 year old activist and Western Washington University student Ben Crowther and Marsha Botzer, the founder of Ingersoll Gender Center.  And, more names are expected to be named as Grand Marshal in the weeks ahead as booking plans are finalized for out of town guests (ie more famous folks than the fine local folks in today’s announcement…) Here’s the full release from SOaP:

Seattle Out and Proud is extremely pleased to announce the selection of the Grand Marshals for the 2012 Seattle Pride Parade, which will be held in downtown Seattle on Sunday, June 24th, starting at 11:00 AM.

The slate of Parade Marshals represents the most numerous and diverse list of honorees in the 38-year history of the Pride Parade.  In keeping with longstanding tradition, the Marshals will ride at the front of the Parade procession, greeting the quarter-million spectators who are expected to view this popular annual event.

The theme of this year’s Pride Parade is “The Many Faces of Pride,” celebrating the myriad ways in which diversity enhances and enlivens our collective experience as a cohesive community. In past years, more than 250 marching contingents — representing commercial, civic and non-profit organizations from throughout the Puget Sound region — have participated in the march along 4th Avenue.

The following is a roster of this year’s Pride Parade Marshals (ordered alphabetically):

• Marsha Botzer, Founder, Ingersoll Gender Center, a mutual support and education organization for transgender, gender variant and genderqueer people
• Ben Crowther, Activist, student at Western Washington University
• Center for Spiritual Living, organization encouraging people from all walks of life and spiritual paths to build a better life and world
• Entre Hermanos, Seattle’s Latino LGBT Organization
• Equal Rights Washington, political advocacy organization for the LGBT community of Washington State
• Flying House Productions, parent company of the Seattle Men’s Chorus and the Seattle Women’s Chorus
• Christine Gregoire, Governor, State of Washington, advocate for equal rights for gays and lesbians
• The Trevor Project, national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth
• Youth Suicide Prevention Project, Seattle-based organization dedicated to reducing youth suicide attempts and deaths in Washington State

Check the Seattle Out and Proud website within the next several weeks for more Parade Marshal news and additional guests, as well as photos and biographies of individual Marshals and their varied organizations.

Registration is now open for the 2012 Seattle Pride Parade. To register your organization to march in the Parade, simply go to www.seattlepride.org and click on Register Now.  Those who register before April 15th will receive a $100 early-bird discount and will likely be placed further toward the front of the parade lineup than those who delay.