PEPPERMINT NAMED NYC PRIDE 2026 GRAND MARSHAL

Broadway star and trans trailblazer to help lead the world’s largest Pride March

April 15, 2026

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 — Peppermint, the acclaimed Broadway performer, actress, and cultural force, has been named a Grand Marshal for NYC Pride 2026, one of the most visible and globally recognized honors within the LGBTQ movement and community.

Each year, NYC Pride uplifts leaders whose impact shapes culture, visibility, and progress for LGBTQ people around the world. Peppermint joins this year’s class of Grand Marshals as a groundbreaking performer and advocate whose work continues to expand trans representation across entertainment and beyond.

Peppermint first rose to international prominence as the first out trans contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she finished as runner-up on Season 9. She went on to make Broadway history as the first out trans woman to originate a principal role in a musical, starring as Pythio in Head Over Heels. Her screen work includes standout roles in Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest and Hulu’s Fire Island, underscoring her range as a dynamic and sought-after talent.

Beyond her work on stage and screen, Peppermint has become a leading voice in advocacy, serving as the first-ever ACLU Artist Ambassador for Trans Justice, and serving on GLAAD's Board of Directors, using her platform to advance visibility, equity, and resources for LGBTQ communities nationwide.

“Being named a Grand Marshal for NYC Pride is deeply meaningful to me, not just as an artist, but as a Black trans woman standing in the legacy of those who fought for us to be here," said Peppermint. "Pride has always been about visibility, resistance, and community, but this year, it feels especially urgent. It’s about actively choosing joy while withstanding and challenging the anti-trans forces shaping our lives. To lead in this moment, in the birthplace of Pride, is both an honor and a responsibility I carry with purpose.”

As Grand Marshal, Peppermint will help lead the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 28, joining a global stage that brings together millions in celebration and protest, honoring the legacy of Pride while pushing forward the ongoing fight for equality.

NYC Pride, the nonprofit behind New York City’s official Pride Month events since 1984, produces a slate of programming that includes the NYC Pride March, one of the largest and longest-running LGBTQ demonstrations in the world, as well as PrideFest, the nation’s largest LGBTQ street festival, and Youth Pride, a celebration dedicated to LGBTQ youth, families, and allies.

This year’s theme, “For All of Us,” reflects both a call to action and a global invitation, centering those most marginalized within the community while welcoming LGBTQ people from around the world, particularly in places where Pride celebrations have been curtailed, to gather in New York City, the birthplace of the modern Pride movement. Through its year-round work, NYC Pride remains committed to building a future free from discrimination, where all people have equal rights under the law, using visibility, storytelling, and community to drive impact.