2008 Theme and Marshals
After weeks of deliberation and hundreds of votes, the Boston Pride Committee is excited to announce the theme of Pride Week 2008:
This theme is about a lot of things. Clearly, it’s green-leaning, and that’s amazing, because preserving the environment is an issue of local, national and global importance. But we think that the theme is also about the ways that diverse groups of individuals can come together to infuse our community with vitality, cohesion and relevance. Our 2008 theme invites all members of our community to come together and work for a stronger, more just, cleaner, kinder world. We thank all those who voted and we look forward to celebrating with you.
Our Celebrity Marshal for 2008 is Leslie Jordan.
Leslie Allen Jordan is an Emmy Award-winning American actor. Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee and at a height of just 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m), Jordan has become an instantly recognizable face in film and television. He is most well known for his television work - including guest appearances on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Voyager, Reba, Boston Public, Boston Legal, and his secondary role on Hearts Afire. He has recently guest-starred on the popular comedy-drama Ugly Betty as celebrity-trasher Quincy Combs. In 2007, Jordan starred as Jesse Joe in the short-lived CW television program, Hidden Palms. Jordan is best known for his role of Karen's pretentious rival Beverley Leslie on the hit series Will & Grace. For that role he received an Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (2006). Jordan is an accomplished stage actor and playwright. In one of his best-known performances onstage, he played Brother Boy in Sordid Lives, a role he took to the big screen in the popular cult film of the same name. Jordan has stated that he will be reprising his role as "Brother Boy" in the upcoming 2008 Del Shores' TV series "Sordid Lives: The Series" (LOGO/MTV) based on the film "Sordid Lives" with Emmy nominated actress Delta Burke. He wrote and starred in the autobiographical play Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel, which was also made into a motion picture. He recently toured the country performing his one-man stage comedy, Like a Dog on Linoleum, to rave reviews. In this show, he tells stories of the high and low points of his life, from his father's death in a plane crash when he was just 11 years old, to his battles with substance abuse and his weakness for street hustlers. Jordan, who is openly gay, has recently starred in the pilot episode of Laugh Out, the world's first interactive, gay-themed comedy show.
Our Honorary Marshal for 2008 is Cpl. Ciara Durkin.
Ciara Durkin was an active and involved member of the LGBT community while not on duty in the US Army Reserve. In addition to working for Fenway Community Health, she often volunteered for Boston Pride events. Ciara enlisted in the US Army Reserve and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2006. Unfortunately, Ciara was killed in service on September 28th, 2007. She was part of a large Irish-American family, with many siblings in the Boston area, and some in Ireland.
Our Grand Marshal for 2008 is Tim McFeeley.
A lawyer, writer, manager, and strategic consultant, McFeeley received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. McFeeley practiced law in Boston for 17 years, notably as corporate counsel for National Medical Care, Inc. In Boston, McFeeley was active in civic and political activities and served on the boards of directors of Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and Boston Aging Concerns. Tim was a founder of both the Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance and Baystate Democrats. He was a member of Boston's Ward Five Democratic Committee and served as its chairman from 1984-88. McFeeley was the principal draftsman of Boston's Human Rights Ordinance. From 1989-95, McFeeley served as Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), a federal political action committee and lobbying organization that advances the cause of civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans.
Again, profound thanks to all those who voted on our web site, www.bostonpride.org, and made their voices heard in the selection of our 2008 theme and marshals.