The owner and the entertainment manager of Orlando's Pulse Nightclub, where a gunman fatally shot 49 people earlier this month, will ride on the lead float of the NYC LGBT Pride March this Sunday, Pride Week organizers announced Thursday.
Owner Barbara Poma and entertainment manager Neema Bahrani will also speak at the NYC LGBT Pride Rally at Hudson River Park’s Pier 26 on Friday and the PrideFest Street Festival on Hudson Street on Sunday.
News of Poma and Bahrami's involvement in NYC Pride was earlier reported by the Daily News and NY1.
The two nightclub representatives, who have vowed the venue will reopen, will be flown to and from New York City for free by Delta Air Lines, an NYC Pride sponsor.
Their float will ride amidst a color guard carrying 49 orange flags — a color representing both the city of Orlando and the movement to end gun violence — with a rainbow stripe, in memory of Pulse's shooting victims.
A greater police presence will also mark the celebration which is expected to involve 20,000 participants, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced at a press conference Thursday morning.
NYC Pride has said it will also honor the victims by distributing orange bandannas at the Friday rally, which will feature a reading of the victims' names.
The event's headlining act, the pop duo Karmin, will donate proceeds from copies of their new album sold on site to support the survivors and Pulse employees.
RELATED STORIES:
► Here's Your Guide to Pride Week
► You Can't Park on These Streets During Pride
► LGBTQ Comics on How to Deliver Laughs After Orlando
