Gay pride in Brazil's biggest city
Crowd estimated at 2 million
Thousands join the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Brazil Sao Paulo (Brazil) Justice and Rights Civil Rights or or Create your own Manage alerts | What is this?
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Almost 2 million gay men, lesbians, transvestites and their supporters -- many in lavish Carnival costumes and waving rainbow-colored flags -- paraded in Brazil's biggest city on Sunday to celebrate gay pride and call for the legalization of civil unions between homosexuals.
More than 20 sound trucks blasting music and carrying go-go boys and drag queens, rolled down the skyscraper-lined Avenida Paulista for the Ninth Annual Sao Paulo Gay Parade -- a parade that organizers said was one of the world's largest gay pride events ever.
Police and organizers said almost 2 million people, including 700,000 tourists from other cities and countries, attended. Last year police said that about 1.5 million people participated.
By comparison, San Francisco's gay pride parade typically attracts tens of thousands of people and last year's world gay pride day celebrations in Berlin attracted between 200,000 and 500,000 participants.
"With these many people showing up, the parade is a major step to strike people's prejudice against gays everywhere," said Pedro Almeida, a spokesman with the Brazilian Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gender Pride Parade Association.
"What a great way to increase visibility for gays across the country," said 22-year-old Joao Paulo da Silva, who was parading with a large feathered ornament around his neck.
The parade's main theme was the legalization of civil unions in the South American country of 182 million. Civil unions between same-sex couples are permitted only in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Sao Paulo Mayor Jose Serra and former mayor Marta Suplicy -- an avid supporter of gay rights -- spoke to the crowd in between live concerts with some of Brazil's most popular singers.
The parade was part of several other gay pride events that will take place throughout Brazil in June.
Brazil is the largest Roman Catholic nation in the world, and the Catholic Church has steadfastly opposed allowing gays to marry.
2004 Gay Pride Parade in Brazil. The number of participants increases every year. Photo:Rose Brasil - ABr


In what may possibly be the largest Gay Pride parade in the world, hundreds of thousands of people marched along the streets of São Paulo, Brazil today in the Parada do Orgulho GLBT de São Paulo.  Many marchers were demanding the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Brazil is the largest Roman Catholic country on Earth, and the Roman Catholic Church has consistently opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country.  The National Congress of Brazil has debated legalization for 10 years, and such civil marriages are currently only legal in Rio Grande do Sul.  The original bill was drafted by former mayor of São Paulo, Marta Suplicy.  The proposed legislation, after being amended, is now in the hands of Roberto Jefferson.  Protesters hope to collect a petition of 1.2 million signatures to present to the National Congress in November.

People carrying flags and banners, some dressed in lavish carnival costumes, walked and danced in the ninth annual Gay Pride parade, stretching for 3.5 kilometres along Avenida Paulista.  Traffic was diverted throughout most of the city, and drinks and snacks vendors took advantage of the barriers across many streets.  Prominent people joining the parade were the actor Sergio Mamberti, representing the Culture Minister Gilberto Gil, and senator Eduardo Suplicy.






 Comparative attendance figures



 Event

 Venue

 Attendance



 Gay Pride parade

 San Francisco

 in the 10,000s



 Christopher Street Day

 Berlin

 200,000 – 500,000



 Gay Pride Week parade

 Toronto

 400,000


Organizers stated that 2.5 million people attended, and police stated that there were 1.9 million — figures which would make the event the largest of its kind in the world — including 700,000 visitors from other cities and countries.  This was an increase from 2004, when police stated that 1.5 million people attended.