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Pride Grand Marshal and Honorary Marshal Announced

Jul 1, 2022

July 1, 2022 (Rochester, NY) – The ROC Pride Collective is proud to announce that Michael Gamilla and Carolyn Zook have been named Pride Grand Marshal and the Pride Honorary Marshal of the 2022 Rochester Pride Parade and Festival. Both honorees will attend the Flag Raising Ceremony, the Pride Parade, and other events throughout Pride Week.

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 the ROC Pride Collective – a community-based coalition dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride in the Greater Rochester area.

Pride Grand Marshal – Michael Gamilla

Michael Gamilla has served as Program Director of ImageOut: The Rochester LGBTQ+ Film Festival for nearly two decades. In this role, he carefully curated films to bring global LGBTQ+ cinema to local screens. The films offered visibility and representation of the LGBTQ+ community, telling diverse stories regarding race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religious identities, and more. Mr. Gamilla was a 2011 The Little Theatre Friend of Film awardee and a 2015 Empire State Pride Agenda Outstanding Community

Pride Honorary Marshal – Carolyn Zook

Carolyn Zook worked at The Avenue Pub on Monroe Avenue for 35 years. The tavern has been a staple of the LGBTQ+ community since 1975. Carolyn moved to Rochester at the age of 18 and started bartending right away. She worked at six different bars for a total 57 years, and she retired from the Avenue Pub in 2021. Ms. Zook welcomed people from all walks of life and made incredible friendships in the LGBTQ+ community.

This year, the Pride Parade and Festival are returning to Rochester after a two-year hiatus. The parade will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 1:00 p.m., and will go down Park Avenue. The festival will take place at Cobbs Hill Park from 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.  This year will also mark a major milestone – it has been 50 years since the first organized LGBTQ+ Pride events were held in Rochester.

“Pride is a time to celebrate and uplift the members of our community,” said Susanna Speed and Sam Brett, co-chairs of the ROC Pride Collective. “We invite everyone to come out to honor all of the LGBTQ+ people who have made history and who continue to inspire change.”

About the ROC Pride Collective

The ROC Pride Collective is a community-based coalition dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride in the Greater Rochester area. The group includes includes volunteers from the LGBTQ+ community and representatives from local nonprofits. It was formed in July of 2021 in response to the community’s desire to see the parade return after a two-year absence. For more information, please visit RocPrideCollective.com.