11-Year-Old-Girl Serves As Orlando Pride’s Grand Marshal

On October 21, Dempsey Jara, age 11, waved at the crowds of Orlando Pride in a beautiful gown wearing iconic, heart-shaped sunglasses. Although very young, Jara was elected grand marshal of the parade.

Dempsey Jara is a trans kid, having been out since she was a little over a year old. She has always gravitated towards traditionally feminine things, and seeing that these things made her happy, her parents have supported her wholeheartedly. Although they believed that Dempsey’s proclivity towards “girly” things was initially a phase, and being told the same by a pediatrician who allegedly called the family freaks behind their backs, the Jara family quickly understood that their daughter was their daughter.

Dempsey seems to be a very happy child, expressing her identity in the same way any little girl would. She and her family are strong fighters for trans rights, which makes sense. In Florida, trans rights are being ripped away left and right, as the current governor, Ron DeSantis, appears to deem basic human rights as an affront to him and God. Due to his removal of any education regarding the LGBTQ+ community in schools with his Don’t Say Gay bill and his ban on gender-affirming care for children, Orlando Pride was not projected to have a large turnout.

Despite all odds, however, over 200,000 people showed up to Orlando Pride, celebrating their identities with others. Even so, Florida is in a dangerous state of turmoil due to DeSantis’s rulings and beliefs that allowing children to be themselves is a cause for concern.

Dempsey Jara told reporters, “Being transgender is not about a choice. It’s about being true to myself. It’s about embracing who I am even when the world tries to tell me otherwise. It’s about standing tall in my identity even when it’s really hard.”

Photo courtesy of @dempseydreamer on Instagram