2019 Grand Marshal: Gregory Noone
Gregory Noone, Program Manager at Thursday’s Child, has been an LGBT and AIDS activist for over three decades. Through his leadership at this non-profit agency, the work toward an AIDS-free generation is closer to being achieved. In the 1980’s he marched in the streets with ACT UP to help fight AIDS. In the 1990’s he was a member of Thursday’s Child Board of Directors, which established a housing program for People Living with HIV/AIDS. Since 2004, he has been running the day-to-day operations of the agency and oversees various programs, such as the provision of charity assistance to our Long Island neighbors in need. He lives with his husband James and their dog Gavin. He speaks and teaches Irish language lessons. Greg has always been vocal about equality for all, and stands behinds his words with action.
2019 Grand Marshal: Juli Grey-Owens
Juli Grey-Owens has served as a New York transgender community advocate for over sixteen years. She is the founder, Executive Director, and Board Chair of Gender Equality New York (GENY), a New York State non-profit corporation, whose mission is to advocate for the transgender, non-binary, and intersex communities.
From 2017 through this past January 2019, Grey-Owens was the Lead Organizer and a driving force behind the campaign to pass the New York State transgender civil rights bill known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA). The bill was successfully passed and signed into law by Governor Cuomo in February 2019.
Grey-Owens is also Board Co-Chair of TransPAC, New York’s first Political Action Committee focused solely on transgender rights. She served as Chair of the GLBT Democrats of Long Island, and was a member of the Suffolk County Democratic Party Executive Committee from 2006 through 2014. Grey-Owens served six years on the Board of Directors of the Empire State Pride Agenda, the New York LGBT advocacy organization. In 2016, she was appointed to the Nassau-Suffolk HIV Health Services Planning Council by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.
Grey-Owens’ awards and accomplishments include being a 2009 Long Island Pride Parade Marshal, receiving the 2007 Empire State Pride Agenda Star Award, and the 2013 Long Island Crisis Center Groundbreaker Award. In 2017 she was recognized by City & State magazine as one of the “10 People Making a Difference for LGBT New Yorkers”. Grey-Owens gave a key address at the 2012 New York State LGBT Equality and Justice Day held in Albany, and spoke at the 2015 Manhattan Marriage Equality Rally when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage. In 2018 Grey-Owens received the Diana Coleman Award for Progressive Leadership, given by the Long Island Progressive Coalition. More recently, City & State magazine has announced her selection as one of the 100 most influential LGBTQ New Yorkers in government, business, health care, journalism, and nonprofits.
She has a daughter, Sarah, and lives in Huntington with her wife Barbara and their two cats Fraidy and Sylvia. When not leading a demonstration or speaking out for her community, she is an avid fan of the Mets, Islanders and Giants.
2018 Grand Marshal: Barbara Salva
Barbara Salva is a transgender woman and advocate for the transgender community. She is the Deputy Executive Director of LITAC, Long Island Transgender Advocacy Coalition, a board member of GENY, Gender Equality New York, Treasurer of Trans PAC, a political action committee, a committee member of LITDOR, Long Island Transgender Day of Remembrance and a proud transgender veteran of the U.S. Air Force with a year tour in Vietnam.
Barbara loves to sing in the Long Island Community Fellowship Church Choir and the Pride Chorus, and she also takes great pleasure in flying light aircraft.
“Lots of titles and things that I do, – but nothing is more important than just being me, a Christian Trans Woman.” –Barbara Salva