The 2026 Star City Pride Parade is a FREE event open to the public dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQIA2S+ community of Lincoln, Nebraska. Now in its fourth year, the Pride Parade has an annual attendance of over 1,000 people and over 50 groups marching in the Parade.

Date: Saturday June 13th, 2026

Location: Around the Nebraska State Capitol (1445 K St., Lincoln, NE 68508)

Please note that the streets around the Nebraska State Capitol will be blocked off, so you must find parking in nearby side streets or parking garages.

Star City Pride 2026 Grand Marshals

Meet your 2026 Star City Pride Grand Marshals!

Kaitlyn Michaelson (she/they)

Kaitlyn attended Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. During their time at Wayne, Kaitlyn was part of the PRIDE Club and served in multiple executive positions, including President her senior year. Kaitlyn provided a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies. They provided education on campus through Pride Flag Presentations and tabling in the Student Center for National Coming Out Day and Transgender Day of Visibility.

Kaitlyn also serves as the LGBTQIA+ Outreach Coordinator at her church: Christ United Methodist Church. During this role, Kaitlyn and two pastors in Lincoln created an interfaith LGBTQIA+ advocacy group: FaithAllyance. FaithAllyance is a group comprised of 11 faith communities that share a common belief: God loves EVERYONE. Kaitlyn has worked with FaithAllyance to provide education opportunities for the Lincoln community and create safe spaces for queer individuals and allies.

During her time at WSC, Kaitlyn was awarded the 2025 Ron Holt Civic Engagement Award for their advocacy work for the LGBTQIA+ community through Pride Club on campus and FaithAllyance in Lincoln. Kaitlyn graduated with her bachelors of Human Services in May 2025 and is looking forward to continuing their advocacy work in Lincoln.

Barbara Baier (she/her)

In 2005, Barbara Baier decided to run as an out-lesbian for the Lincoln Board of Education. She and her partner, Lin Quenzer, of 18 years (now 39 years) and their 5-year-old son (now 26) faced stiff opposition, followed by strong support from the Lincoln community. At that time, Barbara had worked for 5 years as the City of Lincoln’s Grants Administrator-Writer. In any case, Barbara gained more than 60% of the vote and became Nebraska’s first openly LGBT elected official.

Barb has served on the Lincoln Board of Education for 21 years, advocating for equal access to benefits for LGBT staff before Supreme Court decisions sided with equality before the law. Barb has stood up and advocated for transgender students and staff, advocated for bathroom access, and dignity. Barb was instrumental in developing an MOU between Lincoln Public Schools and the City delineating the roles for administrators and School Resource Officers (SROs) regarding student discipline and development of data collection tracking disparities in discipline and juvenile justice referrals resulting in reduction of disparities and development of programs to further reduce disparities.

Lin Quenzer (she/her)
Lin Quenzer was the first to raise LGBT issues to statewide political attention, helping to form the LGBT Caucus in the Nebraska Democratic Party with her wife, Barb Baier, starting in 2000, serving as the NDP's first LGBT Caucus Chair from 2004 to 2012. Lin worked in City government for almost 27 years as Lincoln City Ombudsman, responsible for investigating residents' discrimination complaints. She led outreach and engagement efforts for the City as the Mayor's first LGBT Liaison from 1999 to 2019.

Quenzer has been Sacred Winds Native American Mission Church pastor since 2014. Experienced in domestic violence advocacy, Quenzer has also been a professional musician for many years. A native of South Dakota, Lin has lived in Lincoln since 1983.

She graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English and minor in Humanities from the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, with additional course work from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Women's Studies and from Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota, in Music. Lin is married to LPS Board member Barbara Baier. They have been together since 1988 and have one son, Robert Quenzer-Baier.

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