Singer and actor Deborah Cox will be the main attraction at this year’s Philly Pride.
The Canadian-born performer is best known for her platinum-selling, award-winning R&B/dance albums with songs like “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here.” She has also starred in films like “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” and “Hotel Rwanda,” as well as acclaimed Broadway musicals like “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Josephine” and an upcoming stage adaptation of the hit film “The Bodyguard.”
“It’s exciting,” Philly Pride Presents executive director Franny Price said about this year’s headliner. “This is a star. She’s has all those hits and she’s a big advocate for our community. Plus, she sounds good too.”
Cox has long been a vocal LGBT ally and has headlined a number of LGBT Pride celebrations, including in Chicago and Atlanta.
Cox will head an entertainment lineup that also features out comedian Jessica Kirson, LGBT and gender-nonconforming dance troupe and Oxygen TV reality stars The Prancing Elites, dance-pop singer Jade Starling from Pretty Poison and rock band Betty, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
“It’s exciting that we have so many starring acts this year,” Price said.
The Philly Pride Parade kicks off June 12 at 11:30 a.m., a half-hour earlier than usual, from 13th and Locust streets. The festival gates at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing, 101 S. Columbus Blvd., will open at noon.
For more information and a detailed list of performers, visit www.phillygaypride.org.