Baton Rouge Announces 2023 Honorary Grand Marshals

Every year Baton Rouge Pride selects an Honorary Grand Marshal, in the past several years more and individuals have helped to elevate the LGBTQ+ Community of Baton Rouge and it’s made it very difficult to pick just one. This year we have decided to honor two amazing individuals for their hard work, dedication and love of our community. They are:

Gjvar Payne

Gjvar has been part of the Capitol Area Reentry Program for over a decate and is now their Executive Director. Through CARP, he has worked with the LGBTQ community in founding a discussion group called Out of the Box, which has transformed into the Out of the Box LGBTQ Center with a mission to address the holistic health needs of the community. This group was responsible for obtaining the CDC-funded Gay Men’s Wellness Center here in Baton Rouge.
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Gjvar is deeply dedicated to helping those in underserved communities, from working with formally incarcerated individuals to his work with HIV awareness through counseling and testing. His passion for community has driven him to serve as Chairman of the Baton Rouge TGA Ryan White Advisory Council, a member of the Louisiana Tobacco Free Living Advisory Council, and the Baton Rouge Wellness Center advisory council.

Father Tommy Dillon

The Very Rev. Fr. Tommy Dillon is known for his unwavering commitment to social justice and inclusive ministry. As the Rector of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Dean of the Baton Rouge Deanery of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, Fr. Tommy Dillon has dedicated his life to serving others and building communities that embrace diversity and compassion.
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Fr. Tommy has been part of Baton Rouge Pride’s Celebration of Relationships for over five years and has been privileged to perform marriage ceremonies for countless LGBTQ+ couples in our community. Fr. Tommy also sits on the Executive Committee of Together Baton Rouge. We are honored to celebrate Fr. Tommy Dillon as one of our Grand Marshals for Baton Rouge Pride 2024 and look forward to the work he has yet to accomplish in making our community more inclusive.