The first ‘Rainbow Pride Walk’ in New Delhi, India, took place June 29. Gay rights supporters held marches in Calcutta, Bangalore and New Delhi. (Photo by Mustafa Quraishi/AP)
Pride around the world Gay Pride celebrations around the globe range from massive celebrations with participants numbering in the hundreds of thousands, to small marches of dedicated activists who risk their lives to speak out for justice for gay and lesbian people.
NEW
DELHI
(AP)
—
Men
wore
sparkling
saris,
women
wore
rainbow
boas
and
hundreds
of
people
chanted
for
gay
rights
in
three
Indian
cities
Sunday
in
the
largest
display
of
gay
pride
in
the
deeply
conservative
country
where
homosexual
acts
are
illegal.
Gay
rights
supporters
took
to
the
streets
of
Calcutta,
Bangalore
and
New
Delhi
to
call
for
an
end
to
discrimination
and
push
for
acceptance
in
a
society
where
intolerance
is
widespread.
“This
is
a
national
coming-out
party,”
said
Alok
Gupta,
a
lawyer
from
Mumbai,
as
he
stood
among
several
hundred
activists
in
New
Delhi.
“This
is
a
simple
thing:
We
are
seeking
the
right
to
love.”
While
small
groups
have
marched
in
the
eastern
city
of
Calcutta
in
recent
years,
Sunday’s
events
were
the
first
gay
Pride
parades
in
Bangalore
and
New
Delhi.
Several
hundred
people
turned
out
at
each
of
the
three
events.
The
marches
came
days
before
the
Delhi
High
Court
is
expected
to
hear
arguments
on
overturning
a
law
against
homosexual
sex
that
dates
to
the
British
colonial
era.
The
law,
which
forbids
sexual
acts
“against
the
order
of
nature,”
carries
punishment
of
up
to
10
years
in
prison.
The
law
is
rarely
enforced,
but
activists
say
it
sanctions
discrimination.
“Discrimination
is
widespread
because
there
is
no
protection
or
law
or
societal
understanding,”
said
Lesley
Esteves,
32,
a
gay
rights
activist
who
helped
organize
the
New
Delhi
parade.
‘There’s
discrimination
in
the
workplace;
there’s
discrimination
in
the
family
—
it’s
on
every
level.”
Despite
the
festive
mood
Sunday,
fear
of
discrimination
was
evident
among
the
crowds
in
New
Delhi.
Many
of
the
marchers
wore
rainbow-colored
masks
so
their
friends
and
families
wouldn’t
know
they
were
gay.
Many
others
declined
to
speak
to
journalists.
French
gay
marchers
protest
discrimination
in
schools
PARIS
(AP)
—
Gay
soccer
players,
police
officers
and
bus
drivers
joined
masses
of
people
waving
rainbow
flags
as
they
marched
through
Paris
and
protested
anti-gay
discrimination
in
schools.
More
than
half
a
million
people
celebrated
in
the
streets.
The
marchers
were
dancing
along
the
parade
route
June
28
to
a
soundtrack
of
disco
mixes,
choral
music
and
accordion
tunes.
The
annual
event
is
one
of
Europe’s
biggest
gay
pride
parades.
This
year’s
event
is
focused
on
fighting
discrimination
against
gay
teachers
and
students.
Organizers
say
they
are
protesting
racism,
sexism
and
xenophobia
in
schools,
too.
Paris
Mayor
Bertrand
Delanoe,
along
with
Arab,
Jewish
and
Asian
gay
groups,
was
also
among
those
participating
in
Saturday’s
procession.
Bulgarian
police
arrest
60
for
harassing
Pride
parade
SOFIA,
Bulgaria
(AP)
—
Extremists
throwing
rocks,
bottles
and
gasoline
bombs
attacked
the
Bulgarian
capital’s
first
gay
pride
parade.
Police
say
they
prevented
the
extremists
from
harming
the
150
or
so
people
in
the
June
28
procession
through
Sofia.
No
serious
injuries
have
been
reported.
A
group
of
extremists
attacked
the
first
gay
parade
in
the
Bulgarian
capital,
Sofia,
but
a
massive
police
presence
prevented
violence.
(Photo
by
AP)
Police
say
they
detained
about
60
people
for
harassing
the
parade
participants.
The
march
was
moved
by
from
a
downtown
area
of
the
capital,
Sofia,
to
a
remote
park
after
municipal
authorities
cited
security
concerns.
Gays
face
widespread
hostility
in
Bulgaria,
despite
a
2003
anti-discrimination
law,
and
opposition
to
Saturday’s
parade
was
fierce.
The
far-right
Bulgarian
National
Union
had
called
for
“open
resistance”
to
the
gay
Pride
parade
with
a
campaign
featuring
posters
that
say:
“Be
Intolerant,
Be
Normal.”
Bulgaria’s
influential
Orthodox
Church
said
the
march
should
be
banned
as
it
undermines
the
country’s
Christian
traditions.
“Bulgarian
society
needs
healthy,
strong
and
moral
individuals
to
build
new
life
on
the
indestructible
foundation
of
faith,
prayer,
repentance,
honor,
Christian
culture
and
morals,”
a
statement
said.
Quiet
Gay
Pride
this
year
in
Jerusalem
JERUSALEM
(AP)
—
About
3,000
gay
people
and
their
supporters
marched
through
Jerusalem
June
26
in
the
annual
Gay
Pride
parade.
The
march
was
followed
by
a
rally,
both
proceeding
without
incident.
Police
said
they
had
about
2,000
officers
on
duty
to
protect
the
marchers
from
protesters.
Past
marches
have
been
marred
by
violent
demonstrations
by
ultra-Orthodox
Jews,
but
there
were
only
small-scale
protests
on
June
26
away
from
the
march
route.
Police
said
one
protester
was
arrested.
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