Jubilant NY crowds celebrate gay marriage

Jubilant NY crowds celebrate gay marriage

Under a sea of rainbow flags, hundreds of thousands of people have packed the streets of New York for the annual Gay Pride March, celebrating the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling legalising same-sex marriage nationwide.

Despite the persistent chilly rain, organisers said as many as two million people could attend Sunday’s event – including 22,000 people marching in the parade itself down Fifth Avenue.

Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen, two of Britain’s most famous openly gay actors, served as the grand marshals of the parade.

Also leading the march was Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, founder of the LGBT rights organisation Freedom & Roam Uganda. Homosexuality remains illegal in that African nation and can carry a life prison sentence.

“We march today with the New Yorkers and America in support of their rights. But I also hold the march in support of my struggle,” she told AFP.

The march began at around mid-day after a minute’s silence for those who could not attend, including people who had died of AIDS or been killed in hate crimes.

Any sombre feelings were soon displaced and the festive atmosphere returned after the actor Tituss Burgess sang the American national anthem.

Many other well-known figures attended, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who wore a tie with rainbow stripes and carried a rainbow flag, the symbol of the gay rights movement. He attended with his wife and two children.

In the crowd, families mixed with scantily clad transvestites. Teens wore short rainbow tutus, and many carried signs that simply said “Love.”

Image: ew.com

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