Mayor Menino Will Lead 2013 Boston Gay Pride Parade as Grand Marshal

MAYOR TOM MENINO (PHOTO BY REGINA MOGILEVSKAYA)

With all that he has done to support the gay community, it’s no surprise that the public picked Mayor Tom Menino to lead the upcoming Boston Pride Parade as the event’s Grand Marshal.

Representatives from Boston Pride announced the appointment of the mayor on Wednesday on Facebook and Twitter, expressing their excitement to have the city official—who has stood behind equal rights on numerous occasions—lead the procession.

The votes to both nominate and pick the Grand Marshal were left up to the general public. Nominations for possible parade leaders ended in April. Boston Pride funneled them down to a few selections, after which they put the names out there for residents to decide who would take on the task.

Menino beat out four other opponents in the race for Grand Marshal, including Jim Clerkin, the producer of the hit radio show Matty in the Morning, and Erica Kay-Webster, a human rights activist and public speaker.

“We are excited to name Mayor Menino as Boston Pride’s Grand Marshal this year,” Boston Pride President Linda DeMarco said in a statement. “As this is Mayor Menino’s last year serving as our city’s mayor, we are thrilled that he will be leading the Boston Pride Parade, as it is a way for everyone to thank him for being a passionate supporter of Boston Pride and our LGBT community throughout his tenure.”

The mayor has long been an advocate for equal rights and same-sex marriage. Besides telling Chick-fil-A owners they weren’t welcome in the city because of remarks made about same-sex marriage, Menino also recently blasted the Defense of Marriage Act and called for its repeal.

“There are a lot of tough decisions I make every day as mayor,” Menino said at a March rally in City Hall Plaza. “But supporting marriage equality has always been an easy call for me. It should be an easy call for the Supreme Court today and tomorrow. Look at all the gains we have made in the past year or so…we shouldn’t let justices stop our momentum we have in America today.”

The theme of this year’s parade is “Moving Forward…Proud, Strong, United” and represents the hardships that the LGBT community has persevered through, as well as the drive to move forward together, according to event organizers.

The Boston Pride Parade is held every year to celebrate and promote equal rights for the region’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities, advocating for inclusion, equality, and respect. This year’s parade will take place on Saturday, June 8.