LA PRIDE ANNOUNCES 2026 GRAND MARSHALS
Emmy-Winner Jeff Hiller Named Celebrity Grand Marshal
Activist Mia Yamamoto is Community Grand Marshal
The Late Shirley Raines Recognized as Legacy Grand Marshal
LOS ANGELES, CA — March 17, 2026 — Christopher Street West Association (CSW), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organized the world’s first permitted LGBTQ+ parade in 1970, announced the 2026 Grand Marshals: Jeff Hiller as this year’s Celebrity Grand Marshal, Mia Yamamoto as the Community Grand Marshal, and the late Shirley Raines as the Icon Grand Marshal. Their visibility, courage, and lifelong commitment to authenticity reflect the enduring strength and evolution of the LGBTQIA+ community.
They also announced the theme of the 56th Annual LA Pride Parade: “Rise with Pride.” The celebration will take place in Hollywood on Sunday, June 14, 2026. The LA Pride Parade route will begin at Sunset Blvd. and Highland Ave., traveling north to Hollywood Blvd., east to Cahuenga Blvd., and south back to Sunset Blvd. Pride Village, stretching along Hollywood Boulevard from Vine Street to Gower Street, is free and open to the public. Applications for both the Parade and Pride Village are now open.
THEME: RISE WITH PRIDE
This year’s theme, “Rise with Pride,” is both a celebration and a call forward. It reflects the resilience of a community that continues to rise through change, through challenge, and through collective growth. As LA Pride enters its 56th year, the organization continues evolving from a single June celebration into a year-round institution rooted in service, access, and advocacy.
“‘Rise with Pride’ is more than a theme, it’s a responsibility,” said Lawrence Carroll, CSW Board President. “This year especially, it’s important that we listen to our community and respond intentionally. Our focus is on accessibility, sustainability, and innovation. LA Pride is rooted in service. We are not a ‘gay-chella,’ but we absolutely know how to throw a celebration that is uniquely Los Angeles and representative of everyone who calls this city home, no matter what neighborhood you live in. That balance, joy and responsibility, is who we are.”
About the 2026 Grand Marshals:
Jeff Hiller is an Emmy-winning actor and comedian, honored in 2025 with the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his portrayal as “Joel” on HBO’s Somebody Somewhere. He recently guest starred on Pluribus for Apple TV+, is a recurring character on Stumble for NBC, as well as Hiro Murai’s upcoming series for Apple TV+, Widow’s Bay. Recently, Jeff was announced for a special guest star role in Elsbeth Season 3.
Jeff has numerous television recurring roles and guest star appearances including American Horror Stories, 30 Rock, The McCarthys, Impastor, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and was a series regular on the Pop Network original Nightcap. In addition to publishing his memoir, Actress of a Certain Age, in 2025, Jeff recently wrapped up the run of his one man show, Jeff Hiller is Basic, at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre, NYC, recently sold a pilot to Universal Cable Productions, and is developing a pilot with Zachary Quinto’s Before The Door Productions.
Mia F Yamamoto is a transgender LA-based criminal defense attorney and highly lauded LGBTQ+ civil rights activist. Born in the Poston War Relocation Center, a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II, Yamamoto attended Cal State University, and served in the U.S. Army, where she was awarded a National Defense Service Medal, and Vietnam Campaign and Service Medals.
After graduation from UCLA’s School of Law, where she co-founded the Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association (APILSA), Yamamoto spent nearly 15 years as a Legal Aid attorney and public defender. For her human rights work and LGBTQ+ activism, Yamamoto has been awarded dozens of legal awards and been named “Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year” by the LA County Bar Association 2002; named one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in California” by the California Daily Journal 2002; “Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year” Century City Bar Association 2006; and voted “Southern California Super Lawyer” by her peers, LA Magazine 2005 – 2022. She is also a recipient of the Rainbow Key Award from the City of West Hollywood 2011; the Harvey Milk Legacy Award, by LA Pride in 2012.
Shirley “Ms. Shirley” Raines (1967–2026) was a humanitarian, activist, and the Founder of Beauty 2 the Streetz. Following the devastating loss of her young son, Raines channeled her grief into a lifelong mission of service, becoming a transformative figure in Los Angeles’ Skid Row community — where she was affectionately known by her followers and “Kings and Queens” as “Ms. Shirley.”
Raines redefined street outreach by championing beauty and self-care as fundamental human rights. Through Beauty 2 the Streetz, she provided gourmet meals, hygiene essentials, hair coloring, makeovers, and showers to thousands of unhoused individuals — restoring not just basic needs, but dignity and confidence. Her work was guided by the belief that “the streets may be where you live, but they don’t have to be who you are. Her advocacy earned her international recognition, including the 2021 CNN Hero of the Year Award. In 2025, she received an NAACP Image Award for her powerful social media presence, where she leveraged a following of over 6 million to humanize the homeless crisis and amplify the voices of those living on Skid Row.
She passed away in January 2026 at the age of 58. She leaves behind a legacy of radical compassion, vibrant color, and unwavering commitment to the underserved. Her mission lives on through the organization she built, ensuring her “Kings and Queens” are never forgotten.
PARADE BROADCAST
The 56th Annual LA Pride Parade will broadcast LIVE on Sunday, June 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PDT on ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles, Southern California’s most-watched television station and long-time LA Pride broadcasting partner, with simulcasts on ABC7’s streaming and digital platforms and Hulu. ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles won an L.A.-area Emmy for their coverage of the 2022 LA Pride Parade. The parade route will begin at Sunset Blvd and Highland Ave heading north, then east onto Hollywood Blvd, then south onto Cahuenga Blvd, ending at Sunset Blvd and Cahuenga Blvd.
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ABOUT LA PRIDE
LA Pride is produced by Christopher Street West Association (CSW), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organized the world’s first permitted LGBTQ+ parade on June 28, 1970. For more than five decades, CSW has remained an active voice for the LGBTQ+ community of Greater Los Angeles, working with nonprofit, philanthropic, and community partners to build access, advocacy, and celebration for all.
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