LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentuckiana Pride Foundation (KPF) has announced the grand marshals for the 2024 Kentuckiana Pride Parade: Dawn Wilson, Louisville Metro Human Relations education chairperson; Lisa Gunterman, director of University of Louisville's (UofL) LGBT Center at the Health Sciences Center and Robbi Lynn, longtime performer known for her work at the Connection, a former nightclub.
The parade is set for Saturday, June 15 at noon. It will start in NuLu at Campbell Street before heading up on Preston Street, leading to the pride festival at Big Four Lawn.
Wilson has extensive experience in business and sports, along with the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. She received her bachelor's from Lexington's Transylvania University before earning her Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky. She has won multiple awards for her work on LGBTQ-related issues.
In 2010, she was appointed as a commissioner with the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission under then-Mayor Jerry Abramson before being reappointed by former Mayor Greg Fischer to a full term in 2011. Serving as the commission's education chairperson, she is responsible for facilitating communications with the community to discuss issues in the educational system regarding access and diversity.
Wilson has a scholarship at UofL named in honor of her activism and serves with the Juneteenth Commission. She's also a world-class fencer.
Gunterman, a lifelong Louisville resident, has dedicated their life to advancing issues of equity and inclusion. As director of UofL's LGBT Center at the Health Science Center, they advocate for promoting health equity for the LGBTQ+ community and integrating the use of affirming care practices in health care.
In addition, Gunterman is a co-founder of Louisville's Fairness Campaign and its first employee. They helped pass the city's ordinance barring LGBTQ+ discrimination in areas of employment, housing and public accommodation. In 1999, Louisville became the country's 23rd city to pass LGBTQ+ civil rights legislation after a nearly decade-long grassroots, community-wide effort.
Gunterman has more than 30 years of experience in the academic, nonprofit, government, grassroots community and LGBTQ+ advocacy sectors.
Lynn started performing at the Downtowner in 1970 until it was burned in 1974. After a stint at the New Downtowner from 1975 to 1988, she began working at the Connection and was one of the original cast members of “LaBoy Le Femme” in April 1990. The nightclub closed in 2016.
More on this year's festivities can be found on the festival's website. According to the foundation, more than 25,000 attended last year's event.
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