Actress Meredith Baxter, who publicly came out as gay two years ago after an illustrious career in Hollywood spanning nearly 40 years, will serve as a grand marshal in this year’s San Diego LGBT Pride parade, scheduled for 11 a.m., July 16, through the heart of Hillcrest.
“Meredith is a role model who has captured audiences with her versatile talent, courage and style. She continues to inspire so many to live openly and honestly while calling attention to causes important to her and the LGBT community,” said Frank G. Scarpaci, interim executive director for San Diego Pride.
Baxter currently works the national lecture circuit, raising awareness on issues such as breast cancer, domestic violence, alcoholism and school bullying.
Television audiences, however, know her well for her role as Elyse Keaton, the hippy mom that helped carry NBC’s Family Ties sitcom through multiple seasons during the 1980s. She later took on darker, more serious characters in several films, such as a psychotic kidnapper in The Kissing Place (1990) and a murderer in A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story (1992).
This year’s Pride weekend features a political rally on July 15 in Balboa Park, a mile-long parade down University Avenue on July 16, and a two-day festival with live entertainment on July 16 and 17 in the park.
For more information or to sign up for volunteer positions, call 619-297-7683 or visit the web site at sandiegopride.org.
