Grand Marshals

Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal

Alvin H. Baum

Alvin Baum’s life began usually enough, growing up in Highland Park, a comfortable suburb just outside of Chicago. It was the kind of place typical Americana featured in films such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Risky Business, Ordinary People, and Sixteen Candles. Cultural and other lines often blurred, creating an amalgamated middle class society.

So it was no surprise that he didn’t embrace his Jewish identity until he was stationed in Germany during the 1950s, while serving in the Army there. Attending Shabbat services for the first time, Baum initially saw it as an escape from the boredom of daily military existence.

This restlessness would repeat. He moved from one experience to another several more times: relocating first to the Bay Area, starting a legal career, giving it up to attend classes at UC Berkeley, gaining his Master’s degree in City Planning. After a good stint working for the City of San Francisco, Baum took a mid-career change of direction again – returning to school to earn his MSW and then sustaining 20 years of a successful psychotherapy practice.

These changes mirrored his personal transformation, when in 1971 he began to acknowledge he was gay openly. Coupling growing activism with his now strong Jewish faith, there was one component a close friend suggested he consider – giving. Sharing his time and his resources, he found that helping others fulfilled him immensely.

Today, Baum leads an active civic and philanthropic life as a community leader with particular emphasis on local politics, civil liberties, gay and lesbian causes, and Jewish affairs. His personal generosity has manifested as the Alvin H. Baum Endowment Fund for the Jewish Family and Children’s Services, where funds will be used where most needed, which includes screening and health education.

He has been an advisory committee member for Horizons Foundation, AIDS Emergency Fund, the Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center of the San Francisco Public Library, New Leaf Services for Our Community, and the AIDS Research Institute of UCSF. Together, he and his equally philanthropic partner, Robert Holgate, both serve as inspiration.

José Julio Sarria History Maker

The Leffew Family

The Leffew Family started chronicling their family's lives after the controversial Prop 8 was passed in California. In their own words they describe their work for Equality: "We made the decision to show the lives of an average gay married couple and our two Children Daniel and Selena. We wanted to fight back against the discrimination and ignorance that was being leveled at our family through the ballot box, by using our home videos to give an alternative view to the arguments and images being used against same sex families."

Crystal Jang

Individual Community Grand Marshal

Elected by the SF Pride General Membership,

Crystal Jang, a self-described Chinese-American activist, began organizing as a lesbian feminist, and then later advocated for greater visibility in response to witnessed racism in the LGBT community. The first "out" API teacher in San Francisco, Crystal was appointed as the SFUSD’s first Middle School Coordinator for LGBTQ Youth and Families. She has also participated in state and national efforts to address bullying and name-calling in the education environment. Crystal co-founded OASIS (Older Asian Sisters in Solidarity), the first support group for older API Queer Women, as well as co-founded APIQWTC for the Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community.

Dr. Betty Sullivan

Individual Community Grand Marshal

Selected by the Pride Board in May

Sullivan has been part of the fabric of San Francisco's queer community since 1995. She is best known locally for her small business based in the Castro: Sullivan Communications Inc., from which she founded Betty's List. Currently, Sullivan along with her partner, Jennifer L. Viegas, serves as co-publisher/editor of the Bay Times. Nationally and internationally, Sullivan is a renowned educator, communicator and all-round media guru. She also has a long history with PFLAG, having served on its national Board of Directors in Washington, D.C., for six years.

Chili D

Individual Community Grand Marshal

Selected by the Pride Board in May

Chili D, whose real name is Diane Felix, is a well-known DJ in the Latin community and who works as a health educator promoting in HIV and AIDS education and prevention. Chili D has charted an extensive historical trajectory in cultural and political activism. For more than 4 decades, she has been an historical lesbian anchor, linking several generations of queer Latina and Latino organizing and cultural efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area. To this day she continues creating space for Lesbians-of-color through her clubs and continues to work with Gay Latino men and women managing the infamous "Pan Dulce."

Perry Lang & Kenneth Monteiro

Individual Community Grand Marshal

Perry Lang & Kenneth Monteiro Life partners Lang and Monteiro are being honored this year. Lang is the executive director of the Black Coalition on AIDS. Monteiro is dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University.

Past Grand Marshals

2011
Chaz Bono	Celebrity Grand Marshals: Chaz Bono Olymia Dukakis LaKisha Hoffman Yigit Pura Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal: Bishop Yvette Flunder Special Guests: Dustin Lance Black Jeremy Ray Valdez Individual Community Grand Marshals: Dr. Aaron Belkin Victoria Kolakowski Christiana Remington Therese "Terry" Stewart Rev. Roland Stringfellow Graylin K. Thornton National Organizational Grand Marshal: The Trevor Project Local Organizational Grand Marshal: The GLBT Historical Society & History Museum Honorary Grand Marshals: Susie Bright Ron Wong Pink Brick Recipient: Lou Engle
2010
(Photo Credit: Tom Hwang)	Celebrity Grand Marshals: Alice Walker Zoe Dunning Andy Bell Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal: Ambassador James Hormel Special Guests: Nancy Pelosi on video Community Grand Marshals: All past Pride Grand Marshals were invited back to celebrate as Community Grand Marshals Organizational Grand Marshal: Cheer SF
2009
(Photo Credit: Bill Wilson)	Celebrity Grand Marshals: Cloris Leachman Lt. Dan Choi The MILK Movie Team: Bruce Cohen Dan Nicoletta Howard Rosenman Real-life MILK Team: Tory Hartmann Frank Robinson John Ryckman Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal: William Beasley Organizational Grand Marshal: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Community Grand Marshals: Joe Hawkins Molly McKay and Davina Kotulski Shannon Minter Andrea Shorter Helen Zia Special Guests: Calpernia Addams Ongina Darryl Stephens Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado The Cast of "WICKED" Pink Brick Recipient: Carrie Prejean Pink Brick Runner-up: Archbishop George H. Niederauer
2008
(Photo Credit: Bill Wilson)	Celebrity Grand Marshals: Cyndi Lauper The Producers of The Milk Movie Stuart Milk Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal: Theresa Sparks Organizational Grand Marshal: Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Community Grand Marshals: Erick Argüello Joan Benoît Marvin Burrows Joey Cain Evan Low Julius Turman Honorary Grand Marshals: Brett Andrews Miguel Bustos Trauma Flintstone Shannon Minter Tina Phillips Dr. Carol Queen Pink Brick Recipient: Bill O'Reilly
2007
(Photo Credit: Bill Wilson)	Celebrity Grand Marshals: The Cast of “Noah’s Arc” Eric Alva Jan Wahl Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal: Pat Norman Organizational Grand Marshal: Rainbow World Fund Community Grand Marshals: Dolores Caruthers & Laura Espinosa John Newsome Page Hodel Robert Haaland Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Pink Brick Recipient: George W. Bush
2006
(Photo Credit: Jane Cleland)	Celebrity Grand Marshals: Jennifer Beals Honey Labrador Reichen Lehmkuhl Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal: Sgt. Elliot Blackstone Organizational Grand Marshal: The Billy deFrank LGBT Center of San Jose Community Grand Marshals: Marion Abdullah Robert Bernardo Cecilia Chung Dr. Kathleen McGuire Sal Rosselli Lancy Woo and Cristy Chung Pink Brick Recipient: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger