WikiLeaks suspect won`t be US pride parade marshal

San Francisco: The US Army private charged in a massive leak of US secrets to the WikiLeaks website will not be an honorary grand marshal of San Francisco`s annual gay rights parade after all. SF Pride Board President Lisa Williams announced in a statement yesterday evening that an invitation extended to imprisoned intelligence specialist Bradley Manning this week had been the work of an employee who acted prematurely based on internal discussions.

Williams says a committee of former San Francisco Pride grand marshals did select the 25-year-old Manning, who is openly gay, for the distinction. But she says the Pride Board decided his nomination was a mistake. The parade recognizes about a dozen celebrities, politicians and community organizations as honorary grand marshals each year for their contributions to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. PTI