Margaret Cho to be Grand Marshal of Pride Parade, perform at Rialto

Margaret Cho. Photo Courtesy MEUSA.

Tucson Pride, Inc. has announced that acclaimed comedienne, Margaret Cho will serve as Grand Marshal of the Tucson Pride Parade on October 9, 2009.

The parade will move back to 4th Avenue this year beginning at Catalina Park and ending on 7th Street near Wingspan for a block party. The festivities begin at 6pm.

Cho will join Desert Voices who have been named Community Grand Marshals.

Following the parade, Cho will perform at the Rialto Theater in downtown Tucson.

Margaret Cho, was born and raised in San Francisco. "It was different than any other place on Earth," she says in her Marriage Equality USA Bio. "I grew up and went to grammar school on Haight Street during the '70s. There were old hippies, ex-druggies, burnouts from the '60s, drag queens, and Chinese people. To say it was a melting pot - that's the least of it. It was a really confusing, enlightening, wonderful time."

Margaret started performing stand-up at age 16 in a comedy club called The Rose & Thistle above a bookstore her parents ran. Soon after, she won a comedy contest where first prize was opening for Jerry Seinfeld. She moved to Los Angeles in the early '90s and lived in a house with several other young performers. Still in her early twenties, Cho hit the college circuit, where she immediately became the most booked act in the market and garnered a nomination for Campus Comedian of The Year. Arsenio Hall introduced her to late night audiences, Bob Hope put her on a prime time special and, seemingly overnight, Margaret Cho became a national celebrity. In 1994, she starred in a short-lived ABC sitcom called All American Girl. In 1999, Margaret chronicled her experience on the sitcom and her battles with network executives over her weight in an off Broadway one-woman show called I'm the One That I Want. The show  was made into a concert film and a best-selling book of the same name. After the success of her first show, Margaret launched Notorious C.H.O. in 2001, a smash-hit 37-city national tour that culminated in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. Margaret embarked on her third sold-out national tour, Revolution, in 2003. In 2004, Margaret took her politically charged State of Emergency tour through the swing states of the Presidential election. Lauded as "Murderously funny!" by the New York Times, State of Emergency eventually evolved into her fourth national show, Assassin.

In addition to her busy touring schedule, Margaret has proven herself an established writer and blogger; her second book, a collection of essays on all subjects political and pop, I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight  was published by Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Group (2005). She has also completed her first narrative feature; Bam Bam & Celeste, written by and starring Margaret, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in late 2005 and has since played at the AFI Fest, Frameline, Fusion, and the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. In 2007, Margaret hit the road with 80's legends Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry & Erasure along with indie favorites The Dresden Dolls and The Cliks to host the True Colors Tour, benefiting the Human Rights Campaign. Visit www.margaretcho.com for the latest on this superstar!

Margaret is now a member of the Advisory Board for Marriage Equality U.S.A. and continues her work promoting equality for LGBT Americans through her outspoken humor and frank style.

The Tucson Pride Parade kicks off festivities which will culminate in the celebration at Reid Park on Saturday featuring national and local acts, vendors, information booths, a food court and much, much more! Tickets to the event at $12 and are available at the Tucson Pride, Inc. website.