International soccer great and LGBT+ advocate Marinette Pichon will lead the festivities at the State College Pride celebration on June 8, Centre LGBT+ announced on Friday.
Pichon will serve as grand marshal for the fourth annual State College Pride event, which will kick off with a parade at 10 a.m. followed by a festival in Sidney Friedman Park.
The French-born athlete was a pioneer of women’s soccer in her home nation and is regarded as one of France’s greatest players. For nearly two decades, Pichon held the French national team goal-scoring record with 81 in 112 matches.
Pichon’s talents were also noticed internationally. In the 2000s, she became France’s first soccer player to sign a professional contract in the United States when she joined the Philadelphia Charge, where she won the the Women’s United Soccer Association MVP and Offensive Player of the Year Awards. After the WUSA disbanded, she played professionally in France and with the USL W-League New Jersey Wildcats, where she was the team’s leading scorer.
Since retiring, Pichon has been a consultant for France Télévisions and has supported causes close to her as a fierce advocate for LGBT+ and women’s rights.
State College Pride will be Pichon’s second visit to Centre County. She first traveled to State College during the 2023 Centre Film Festival for a screening of the biopic based on her life, “Marinette,” as part of the festival’s “Pride on Screen.”
She also visited Centre LGBT+ and Centre Safe, two organizations that provide resources Pichon finds vital to communities everywhere.
In June, Pichon will be accompanied at State College Pride by her wife, Ingrid Moatti.
“It’s exciting to have a grand marshal that has led the career Marinette has led in the world of sports,” Fermin Almeida, Centre LGBT+ marketing chair, said. “Her life story is one of bravery that inspires our community to be authentic and true to oneself in any path of life. Centre LGBT+ is proud to have Marinette join us for State College Pride and celebrate the community we serve.”
State College Pride is hosted by Centre LGBT+ with the support of the Downtown State College improvement District, the Borough of State College, sponsors, and community members. Last year’s festivities drew about 5,000 attendees.
