Darcelle will Grand Marshall this year's Portland Pride Parade
Pride season is quickly marching upon us and Pride NW has just announced its 2010 honorees. Grand Marshall this year is the fabulous heart of the Portland drag scene, 78-year-old Darcelle, a performer and fixture for over 35 years.
Just Out staffer and former qPDX contributor Erin Rook does a great job of announcing the 3 places of honor, Grand Marshall, Spirit of Pride Award, and newly implemented Pride in Action Award, so I’m going to let her take it from here:
Darcelle XV, the 78-year-old namesake of Darcelle XV Showplace and recent Stonewall 40 Trans Heroes honoree, will be leading the parade as Grand Marshall. Darcelle is Portland’s best known female impersonator and has been a fixture in the community since first opening the bar that would become Darcelle XV Showplace in 1967.
The Spirit of Pride Award, which recognizes an individual’s leadership and commitment to advocacy, education, services, organizing and coalition building within and on behalf of the LGBTQ community, will be given to Kevin Easton. He is the former executive director of the Equity Foundation, an organization that works to eradicate prejudice towards sexual and gender minorities in Oregon. He currently serves as strategist, campaign manager and treasurer for Maria Rubio’s campaign for Multnomah County Commissioner — District 2.
New this year, the Pride In Action Award recognizes someone involved in grassroots-level community organizing without the funding or support of a major nonprofit entity. The inaugural award will go to Ben Brown, Jr., a local graphic designer who has done work for a number of community groups including the Oregon Bears, Blackout Leather Productions, Bad Girls, Cascade AIDS Project, Pride NW and the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court. Brown was was the Media Chairman for Capitol Pride in Salem from 2001 to 2002, served on the Oregon Bears Board of Directors from 2005 to 2008 and is a former Mr. Oregon State Leather.
