LA Pride Parade: Sir Lady Java; Mark Indelicato; and Paula Abdul named grand marshals

LA Pride has announced its trio of grand marshals to herald the start of the June 12 official Pride parade in its original historic location within Hollywood. This year’s Pride grand marshals include legendary activist and trailblazer Sir Lady Java as this year’s Community Grand Marshal, out actor Mark Indelicato, as this year’s Celebrity Grand Marshal, and the newly created Icon Grand Marshal title given to longtime LGBTQIA+ ally and award-winning entertainer, Paula Abdul. The parade is presented by LA Pride title sponsor TikTok.

“LA Pride is excited to be back in person for our official parade! Returning to the historical location of Hollywood this year, we have the opportunity to celebrate our 50th anniversary in a wonderful way that we could not in 2020,” said Gerald Garth, CSW’s Vice President of Community Programs and Initiatives. “This year, we are especially excited to celebrate Sir Lady Java, a true icon, as our Community Grand Marshal. What’s more, she will be accompanied by Pose cast alum, Hailie Sahar, who will portray Java in an upcoming feature film about her storied life. It was very important to LA Pride that we lift history and legacy as a part of the parade this year, so this is a new and exciting moment.”

Paula and Mark will ride down the Hollywood parade route in custom Pride-wrapped Porsche 911 Cabriolets, courtesy of Porsche Experience Center, LA, while Lady Java and Hailie Sahar will ride in style in a vintage convertible to experience the full parade route.

As a popular LA nightclub star in the 1960s, Sir Lady Java was targeted by LAPD for violating “Rule Number 9,” a ban on “impersonation by means of costume or dress a person of the opposite sex.” Lady Java challenged the police, the law, and the City of LA, taking them all the way to the California Supreme Court. With some help from the ACLU, she won her case: Rule Number 9 was struck down. Java is a trailblazer and legend, and we celebrate this living pioneer of LGBTQ rights.

Indelicato is best known for playing Justin Suarez, the fashion-conscious, musical theater-loving nephew on the hit ABC show, “Ugly Betty,” a character based on show creator, Silvio Horta’s experiences as a gay teen raised by a single mom. Mark is currently starring in the Emmy-winning HBOMax series “Hacks.”

Grammy and Emmy-winner Abdul was a headlining act at the 2019 LA Pride festival. Paula also co-hosted the 2021 Pride digital experience on TikTok that was streamed by 700k+ allies and community members. Due to Paula Abdul’s unwavering and tireless support of the LA Pride organization over the past decade, she will be celebrated as the inaugural Icon Grand Marshal.

The parade, which hasn’t been in Hollywood in 50 years, will return to its original location this year.