Singh named a grand marshal of 2016 Atlanta Pride Parade

A College of Education faculty member is one of 12 influencers in the metro Atlanta area named a grand marshal of the 2016 Atlanta Pride Parade.

Anneliese Singh, an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services, was recently selected as a grand marshal by the Atlanta Pride Committee. In a statement to Georgia Voice, Atlanta Pride Committee executive director Jamie Fergerson said the grand marshals allow the parade to show the richness of identities and is important to the annual festival celebrating the area’s LGBTQ community.

“The selection of grand marshals not only allows us to recognize the people and organizations who have made and are making contributions to the Atlanta LGBTQ community, it allows us to enact Atlanta Pride’s mission by bringing attention to the causes that are important to our organization and community,” Ferguson said.

Singh was selected for her work in gender identity and helping trans people navigate societal oppression. She is a founder of the Trans Resilience Project and a co-founder of the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition, which works to create safe school environments by addressing the intersections of heterosexism, racism, sexism and other oppressions. Singh also organizes the Queer and Trans Youth Liberation Space at Atlanta Pride.

In 2014, the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition served as a Pride Parade organizational grand marshal.

As a grand marshal, she joins a list of activists and organizations influencing the LGBTQ community, including the director of Lambda Legal, the founder of the Decatur Women’s Sports League, the executive director of Transgender Individuals Living Their Truth, and organizations For the Kid, Out on Film, and PFLAG Atlanta.

This year’s Atlanta Pride Parade takes place during the 46th annual Atlanta Pride Festival Oct. 8-9 in downtown Atlanta.