Yesterday, Orange is the New Black star, Laverne Cox, served as a Grand Marshal in New York City's 2014 Pride Parade, marking the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, along with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Executive Director, Rea Carey, and “Frozen” star, Jonathan Groff.
Director of NYC Pride, David Studinski, said in a statement about the Grand Marshal selections:
Individually, they represent some of the diversity within the LGBT community and a few of the various struggles our community members have and continue to face. Collectively, their stories reinforce that no voice is too small or weak to make change in our world -- and it starts with being yourself.
Cox led the parade through the West Village with Dolores Nettles, trans rights activist and mother of Islan Nettles, a transgender 21-year-old woman who was beaten to death in Harlem last August. Delores held a photo of her daughter while waving to the crowds.
Laverne wasn’t the only one from Orange is the New Black at the Parade – Netflix’s float, designed like the Litchfield Correctional Facility, featured members of the hit show’s cast, including Danielle Brooks, Lin Tucci, Natasha Lyonne, Yael Stone, Jackie Cruz, Emma Myles, and Matt McGorry, all of whom took Instagram by storm. Other cast members were featured in San Francisco’s Pride Parade the same day.
