Miss. student to be NYC pride parade grand marshal

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The lesbian teenager from Mississippi who challenged her school district’s ban of same-sex prom dates will serve as grand marshal of the annual gay pride march in New York City.

Organizer Heritage of Pride, Inc., announced Wednesday that Constance McMillen will appear in the parade on June 27.

“I never dreamed so many people would support my fight to take my girlfriend to the prom, much less that I’d end up being asked to be a Grand Marshal at NYC Pride,” McMillen said in a statement. “I’m really honored and touched to be asked to be part of this celebration.”

It commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots in which patrons at a Greenwich Village gay bar fought back against a police raid. The 18-year-old senior says she’s honored to be part of the celebration.

Her fight has attracted nationwide attention from gay rights advocates and celebrities.

Rock band Green Day is part of an event planned for her in Mississippi next month and she has been invited to the annual “lesbian prom” in San Francisco held by the National Center for Lesbian Rights.