Monday, June 11, 2007

Pride Around the World


Millions pack Sao Paulo's streets for Pride parade
Millions of people packed the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, for what organizers said was the world's largest gay pride parade, dancing and waving rainbow flags in a carnival-like atmosphere to condemn homophobia, racism, and sexism.

At least 3 million people filled the canyonlike Paulista Avenue on Sunday, organizers said, surpassing last year's count of 2.5 million. The larger count was confirmed by a police spokesman who is not authorized to be quoted by name under department rules.
''This is the biggest parade on the planet,'' tourism minister Marta Suplicy said. ''Our city is showing, once again, its respect for diversity.''
In comparison, recent gay pride parades in New York and San Francisco have drawn tens of thousands of people, and world gay pride day celebrations in Berlin in 2004 attracted between 200,000 and 500,000 participants.

Parade organizer Nelson Matias Pereira said this year's participants are appealing for a ''world where racism, sexism, and homophobia, in all their forms, no longer exist.''
Trucks blasting disco and electronic music rolled through the streets, followed by marchers carrying banners with slogans such as ''Dignity for All,'' and ''All Forms of Love Bring Us Closer to God.''
''There is no question the prejudice we have suffered for years has diminished a lot,'' said one marcher, mechanic Sebastiao Pereira Rodrigues, who was wearing black leather shorts and a tight purple T-shirt. ''But it's still there and we still a long way to go.'' (Stan Lehman, AP)
-- courtesy: Advocate.com


Gay Rights:
Attackers stone Romanian gay rights march
Police used tear gas against protesters who hurled stones at the annual gay rights parade in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, Saturday, officials said.
About 100 people were detained for throwing stones and fireworks at police and about 400 participants in the gay rights march, said Christian Ciocan, a police spokesman. Police responded with tear gas. Nobody was injured, he said.
''We regret that our opponents use violence.... Police only did their job to protect an authorized march,'' said Florin Buhuceanu, one of the organizers of the gay rights march. ''It is our right to express our beliefs, and we will not renounce in the face of violence.''
Romania decriminalized homosexuality in 2001.
On Tuesday, two men leaving a Bucharest cinema that hosts the annual ''Gay Fest'' festival were beaten by eight attackers. Police stopped the attack and arrested several people. (AP)


---courtesy: Advocate.com

2 comments:

Unknown said...

2007 Italian National Gay Pride in Rome: about 800,000 people!

The biggest of our history :-)

Anonymous said...

closer to 650,000. But a hugh success