Choi, Gless at Miami Beach Gay Pride

Miami Beach Gay Pride will celebrate this weekend with grand marshals Lt. Dan Choi and actress Sharon Gless.

According to The Miami Herald, local pride committee organizers said they were impressed with the brash approach of Choi, who was arrested last month after he chained himself to the White House fence to protest the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

"This year at our annual retreat, our board decided to go after -- rather than celebrities in Hollywood -- people who've contributed in a civic manner to our community," said board chairman Babak Movahedi, according to the Herald. "Dan certainly has been the spokesman for repeal of `don't ask, don't tell' and plays a very important role in the LGBT community. We're very excited he's going to join us at Pride."

The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Gless, an outspoken gay rights advocate and star of the TV series Cagney & Lacey as well as the independent lesbian film Hannah Free, lives on nearby Fisher Island.

Some 30,000 people are expected to attend Miami Beach Gay Pride, the Herald reports.