2012 Las Vegas PRIDE Parade Celebrity Grand Marshals

Las Vegas, NV, August 22nd, 2012— The 2012 Las Vegas PRIDE Board of Directors is proud to announce Kathy Griffin, Margaret Cho and Joan Rivers as the 2012 Honorary Parade Grand Marshals. They will be kicking off this year’s 2012 Las Vegas PRIDE Night Parade on the Parade Main Stage in Downtown Las Vegas (intersection of 4th Street & Bridger Avenue).

“We are very excited and proud to host an amazing trio of beauty and talent; best of all they all make us laugh” say’s Las Vegas PRIDE President & Parade Chairman Ernie Yuen. Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin and Joan Rivers will be live and in-person to kick-off the 2012 Las Vegas PRIDE Parade during the Parade Preshow which runs from 7-8pm on Friday, September 7th, 2012 with a full cast of local entertainers.

Kathy Griffin can be seen Saturday night September 8th; Margaret Cho will make you laugh Thursday, September 6th. Both ladies will be showcased inside the Mirage at the Terry Fator Theatre at 10:00pm. Joan Rivers will be at the Venetian Showroom September 6th thru the 8th at 9:00pm. Yuen says, “What a great way to start our spectacular event. This will be history making for us and I am sure the LGBT community will be out in full force to welcome these wonderful LGBT community supporters.”

Kathy Griffin is a Two-time Emmy winner, NY Times bestselling author and four-time Grammy nominee best known from her reality show, “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.” Kathy is very involved with the gay and lesbian community and was presented with the prestigious Vanguard Award at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards. The Trevor Project awarded Kathy with Lifetime Honoree at the 2011 gala for her tremendous work with the GLBTQ community. In 2011, Kathy delivered an incredible four stand up specials; “Kathy Griffin: 50 and Not Pregnant,” “Kathy Griffin: Gurrl Down!” “Kathy Griffin: Pants Off,” and “Kathy Griffin: Tired Hooker.” “Kathy Griffin: Tired Hooker” is currently nominated for an Emmy in the category Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Kathy joined the competitive world of nighttime talk shows with her new weekly Bravo pop culture show, “Kathy,” on April 19, 2012. “Kathy” returns for a second season in January 2013.

Margaret Cho, a two time Grammy nominee, has been recognized in many other areas as well. She was the recipient of the Victory Fund’s 2008 Leadership Award and the first ever Best Comedy Performance Award at the 2007 Asian Excellence Awards. She also received the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California and the Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW). Throughout her career, she has been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and PFLAG for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for all, regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity. In June of 2011, Margaret was honored by LA Pride, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. Margaret recently received her first ever Emmy nomination in the category Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Kim Jong Il on 30 Rock.

Joan Rivers is an internationally renowned comedienne, Emmy-winning television talk show host, Tony-nominated actress, best-selling author, playwright, screenwriter, motion picture director, columnist, lecturer, syndicated radio host, jewelry designer and cosmetic company entrepreneur and most importantly, a proud mother and grandmother.

Joan has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning more than four decades. She is currently on E! Entertainment Television hosting the network’s popular franchise Fashion Police, covering red carpet style for the annual awards season, as well as hosting E!’s popular Fashion Police weekly series. Joan has also taken over the reality TV circuit with her daughter Melissa in their weekly hit series on WEtv, called Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best? This ultimate mother/daughter duo address the question plaguing daughters since the beginning of time: does mother really know best? She starred in NBC’s hit reality series The Celebrity Apprentice emerging as the Season Two winner. Her critically-acclaimed documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work premiered in theater’s nationwide and is now also available on DVD. She recently celebrated the publication of her 11th book, I Hate Everyone…Starting with Me, published by The Penguin Group which is a New York Times Best Seller.

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For more information about SNAPI or Las Vegas PRIDE, visit www.lasvegaspride.org. The primary objectives and purpose of SNAPI are: To educate the general public to the needs and issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community; to provide educational outreach to persons directly or indirectly involved in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community; to advocate and facilitate the exchange of ideas and resources between the various non-profit Nevada lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or related organizations; to promote a positive image of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community and pride; to provide inclusive and diverse representation within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community; to recognize and celebrate the substantial achievements in our community.

OFFICIAL SPONSORS OF LAS VEGAS PRIDE INCLUDE:
Red Sponsors contributing a minimum of $25,000 to the Las Vegas PRIDE events annually: Bud Light, COX Las Vegas (Broadcast Media Partner), Smirnoff, MGM Resorts International, QVegas Magazine, Gay Days Las Vegas, Edge Publications, Inc., Mix 94.1, X 107.5 and 98.5 KLUC
Orange Sponsors contributing a minimum of $15,000 to the Las Vegas PRIDE events annually: Wynn Las Vegas, SHARE Nightclub, Sin City Q Socials, Visit Las Vegas & Jake Naylor
Yellow Sponsor contributing a minimum of $10,000 to the Las Vegas PRIDE events annually: Fashion Show Mall
Green Sponsors contributing a minimum of $5,000 to the Las Vegas PRIDE events annually: Zappos.com, Verizon Wireless, Deejay Danny G. Sound & Lighting, Caesars Entertainment, The Light Group, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly and MedicWest Ambulance
Blue Sponsors contribute a minimum of $2,500 to the Las Vegas PRIDE events annually: Charlie’s Las Vegas, Albertsons/Sav-on Pharmacy, Get Booked & GayVegasTravel.com
Violet Sponsors contributing a minimum of $1,000 to the Las Vegas PRIDE events annually: Bank of America, Blue Moon Resort, The Cupcakery, Expedia.com, CSI: The Experience, Family Apparel, ID Lube, The Garage, FrontiersLA.com, Tix4Tonight & Wells Fargo