Jun 29, 2008 12:43 pm US/Pacific
Huge Crowds Turn Out For SF Gay Pride Parade
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP) ―
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Marchers in last year's SF pride parade.
CBS 5
Huge crowds turned out Sunday for San Francisco's 38th annual gay pride parade as revelers celebrated their newfound freedom to marry.
The day's festivities got under way with a matrimonial touch.
Members of the lesbian motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes wore bridal veils and wedding gowns and tossed bouquets as they led the parade down Market Street. Some of the motorcycles were adorned with signs that read "Just Married."
Parade officials estimated this year's turnout was the biggest ever as people celebrate California's legalization of gay marriage.
"It's about double the people," said Victor Anderson, who runs Heart of the Castro Wedding Chapel. "Usually it's about a half a million people who come for Pride, and they've estimated 1.2 million for this year."
Same-sex marriage has been legal in California since June 16, after a state Supreme Court decision. The San Fransicos county clerk's office was busy Friday handing out marriage licenses and handling wedding ceremonies in advance of this weekend's pride celebration.
Anderson said he had lots of business this weekend. Weddings complete with flowers, music, the license, even a DVD, went for $499.
"I booked couples from Texas, New York, Tennessee, Florida, and Washington D.C.," said Anderson.
Supporters of same-sex marriage also used the parade to campaign against a November ballot initiative that would once again make gay marriage illegal.
The office of the California Secretary of State has given the initiative a number: Proposition 8. If it passes, it will change the state constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
"We're asking folks to speak to local groups, to submit letters to the editor...we've already got about 30 counties where we've got couples who've gotten married," explained Pamela Brown, Policy Director for Marriage Equality USA, which had a booth at the marriage pavillion at the Civic Center where they were handing out literature during the festivities.
She believes as more people know the stories behind same sex couples who commit, the less likely they are to vote for a marriage ban.
But not everyone came to get married or talk about the marriage issue. Many revelers were just celebrating Pride. Pink and rainbow items were for sale in booths set up in the Civic Center Plaza, and there was plenty of food and music.
Overseas, gay pride marches in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia and the Czech Republic city of Brno came under attack Saturday by extremists who threw rocks and eggs. No serious injuries were reported.
In Paris, more than half a million people danced through the streets beneath a river of rainbow flags.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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