Rochester Pride Grand Marshal and Honorary Marshal Announced
June 16, 2025 (Rochester, NY) – Assemblymember Harry Bronson and Reverend Myra Brown have been named the Pride Grand Marshal and Pride Honorary Marshal of the 2025 Rochester Pride Parade and Festival. Both honorees will attend the Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on July 14 and the Pride Parade & Festival on July 19.
The Pride Grand Marshal is a person who has made contributions to better the life of the LGBTQ+ community in the Rochester area in the past, present, and future. The Pride Honorary Marshal is a person who has made contributions to better the life of the LGBTQ+ community and may have been overlooked in the past. Nominations were accepted online, and the winners were selected by volunteers dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride in the Greater Rochester area.
Pride Grand Marshal – Assemblymember Harry Bronson
Harry Bronson was elected to the 138th Assembly District in 2010. He is the first openly gay person from outside of NYC elected to office at the state-level. He is also Chair of the Assembly Labor Committee. Prior to being elected to the Assembly, he was a labor attorney and Monroe County Legislator. Harry’s motto, which informs his policymaking, is, “No matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, what your abilities, whom you love, or how you identify — we all have dignity and deserve equity, justice and opportunity.”
In all capacities, Harry has dedicated his career to ensuring people can live as their authentic selves, be seen for who they are, and have access to opportunity. As the youngest of 12 siblings on a rural family farm, he learned the value of hard work and collaboration. This, alongside his experiences growing up gay in in the 1970s, inspired him to go into labor law, fighting for policies that protect people from discrimination, exploitation, and unsafe and unfair workplaces, so they can see the benefit of their hard work and live comfortably and safely as themselves. He combined his work as an attorney with LGBTQIA+ activism in his twenties, during the height of the AIDS epidemic, to combat the government’s silence as members of his community were dying. He was encouraged to run for office by fellow LGBTQIA+ activists, and, refusing to hide or deny his sexuality, won a seat on the Monroe County Legislature with a platform of fighting for all. His work in the Assembly centers around an equity agenda, which includes defending and advancing the rights of LGBTQIA+ and TGNCNBI people. In 2011, the year after he was elected to the Assembly, New York passed the Marriage Equality Act, which gave same sex couples the right to marry in New York State. He firmly believes that this would not have become law without LGBTQIA+ voices in elected office. He has worked on and passed several other significant pieces of LGBTQIA+ legislation: Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or “GENDA” (2019), Name Change Protection Law (2015), Gender Recognition Act (2021), LGBTQIA+ Demographic Studies (2023), Trans Safe Haven (2023), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender HIV Long Term Care Bill of Rights (2023), and Shield Law 2.0 (2025). He has also secured record funding for HIV Housing in Monroe County, $250,000 to restore and complete the AIDS Remembrance Garden in Highland Park, as well as funding for Rainbow Seniors ROC and other LGBTQIA+ organizations and initiatives.
Harry is married to John White-Bronson. As a couple they co-owned and operated Equal=Grounds Coffee Shop in the South Wedge for 18 years. It was the first LGBTQIA+ inclusive coffee house of its kind in Monroe County.
Pride Honorary Marshal – Reverend Myra Brown
Reverend Myra Brown is the Pastor of Spiritus Christi Church in Rochester, NY. The congregation of Spiritus Christi strives to be the continuing presence of Jesus in the 21st century, working to be a community that is both inclusive and mission-driven. It is a place where all are welcomed, and all are called out to live the unconditional love of Jesus, which includes leaning into the social gospel that Jesus embodied. Rev. Myra was an original member of the Spiritus Christi community when it was founded in 1998. She was ordained as a priest in 2017 and was selected as pastor of the community in 2018. Rev. Myra founded many ministries at Spiritus Christi, including the Caring Connection, The Adopt-A-Family Program, City Colors Neighborhood Youth Group, and the Racial Justice Ministry at Spiritus Christi (SPARC), which is a coalition committed to the intentional work of eliminating racism in all its forms. Rev. Myra is committed to standing with the vulnerable, the powerless, and people on the margins to create a better world. She was called to ministry when God’s voice said, “I have called you to preach and teach my word.” From that day forward, she said, “I have committed to walking through every door God opens for me to meet up with God on the other side.”
Reverend Myra is strong supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and leads an open and affirming church that hires and welcomes LGBTQIA+ ministry leaders. Rev. Myra often takes on LGBTQIA+ bigotry – advocating for a common humanity and equal treatment of all people. In 2019, she was a speaker at the Stonewall Uprising Exhibit that opened at the Rochester Public Library two years after the Pulse Night Club shooting. At this event, she participated in the celebration of life service to honor those killed, and all victims of violence connected to prejudice, hate, discrimination, homophobia, and bias. She preaches about justice for trans women, LGBTQIA+ justice, and racial justice. Her pulpit and doors are open to all, as Spiritus Christi celebrates Solidarity Sunday each year with a speaker from the LGBTQIA+ community. She has always been a strong advocate for marriage equality – she performed marriages prior to it being legal in New York State, and she continues to marry members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Rev. Myra has joined many protests to support the LGBTQIA+ community, and every year, she marches in the Pride parade with Spiritus Christi. Rev. Myra believes that the LGBTQIA+ community enriches and inspires the world through its commitment to love and social justice.
About the Rochester Pride Parade & Festival
The Rochester Pride Parade and Festival will take place on July 19, 2025. The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the intersection of South Avenue and Science Parkway. It will travel north on South Avenue and end at Highland Park. The festival will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Highland Park. It will include food, drinks, games, activities, vendor tables, live music, and performances. Tickets for the festival are on sale at rochesterpride.com (or click here for the direct link.) General admission tickets are $5 and VIP tickets are $50. Kids under 12 are free.
For more information, please visit the official Pride website at rochesterpride.com.