Owner and Manager of Orlando Nightclub Pulse to Appear in NYC's Pride March Sunday

New York City's Pride March on Sunday will have two esteemed guests riding the lead float -- Barbara Poma and Neema Bahrani -- owner and entertainment manager of Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. DNAInfo reports.

Representatives from NYC Pride, organizers of the March and other LGBT Pride events around the city this weekend, announced Thursday Poma and Neema's participation in Gotham's Pride festivities.

The New York Daily News notes that at Sunday's march, the lead float that will carry Poma and Neema will be surrounded by a color guard caring 49 orange flags, each with a rainbow stripe, signifying the victims in the massacre at the Orlando nightclub.

In addition to appearing in the March on Sunday, the pair are also scheduled to speak at the Pride Rally on Friday at Pier 26 where the names of the 49 victims who died in the shooting on June 12 will be read aloud before the moment of silence. The pair is also scheduled to appear at the street festival PrideFest on Hudson Street following the March on Sunday.

As previously reported, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton have ordered a significantly increased police presence for the March, which is expected to have the largest turnout in its history.

"You'll see a lot of the same protections that are in place at every Pride parade, and you'll see more as well," DeBlasio said. "Some will be visible, and there will be other important measures you won't see."

"We will out of caution be increasing the size of the police detail this year, with some degree of focus that we might not have had in years past on the issue of terrorism -- certainly in light of the event in Orlando," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said.