PRIDEChicago, the committee behind the Chicago Annual Pride Parade—scheduled for Sunday, June 28, at 12 p.m., and starting at the corner of Halsted and Belmont—has announced that trans actress/teacher/activist Alexandra Billings (pictured) will be the grand marshal of the event.
Billings—who has dozens of stage, television and film roles to her credit—is the subject of “Schoolboy to Showgirl: The Alexandra Billings Story,” a part of the Out & Proud in Chicago series that will premiere Friday, June 19, at 8:30 p.m. on WTTW-11.
In addition, there will be changes related to crowd control. Effective this year, the plan is to line the entire parade route with barricades on both sides of the street from the starting point all the way to Diversey, to keep the crowds at bay. Spectators, including those who arrive late on parade day, will be required to stand behind the barricades, not in the street.
PRIDEChicago has updated and upgraded the June Pride Month and Parade Web site; see www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org.