Assemblywoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) will be the grand marshal of the 1989 Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade June 25 in West Hollywood, officials of Christopher Street West, the parade's sponsor, have announced.
Gary S. Jonker, president of Christopher Street West, said Waters was chosen because of her "strong voice for human rights" and her "support for the lesbian and gay community" since being elected to the Assembly in 1977.
Previous grand marshals have included actresses Patty Duke, Rita Moreno and Mamie Van Doren, county Supervisor Ed Edelman and Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs.
The parade is a highlight of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Pride Celebration on June 24 and 25. This year's celebration marks the 20th anniversary of a gay rebellion at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street in New York, commemorated as a key event in the modern gay and lesbian rights movement.
