George Takei, an openly gay actor and activist who is probably best known for portraying Mr. Sulu on TV's Star Trek, will be the grand marshal for this year's 37th Annual Pride Parade, to be held on June 25 at noon. He and his partner of 19 years, Brad Altman, will be riding in the front vehicle.
Takei made international headlines when he came out to the public last fall. This spring, he embarked on a national speaking tour as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) Coming Out Project. He will also speak at the Gay Games VII Opening Ceremony.
Takei has been in more than 30 feature films and has made numerous television guest appearances, including a voiceover on The Simpsons.
Takei is also active in the community. He is chair of the council of governors of East West Players, the nation's foremost Asian/Pacific American theater. In addition, he is a past member of the advisory committee of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program.
He has been politically active as well. Takei ran for the Los Angeles City Council in 1973, losing by a small margin. He was appointed by then-Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley to the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District, and served from 1973 to 1984 and was vice president of the American Public Transit Association.