Gay pride celebrations have added note of joy
SAN FRANCISCO — A lesbian motorcycle group dressed in wedding gowns and wearing bridal veils lent a matrimonial touch to San Francisco’s gay pride parade Sunday as revelers celebrated their newfound freedom to marry.
The riders tossed bouquets as they led the city’s 38th annual gay pride parade down Market Street. Some of the motorcycles were adorned with signs that read “Just Married.”
Huge crowds lined the route as city tourism officials predicted the largest turnout yet for the parade, which typically draws tens of thousands.
The county clerk’s office was busy Friday handing out marriage licenses and handling wedding ceremonies. Same-sex marriage has been legal in California since June 16, after State Supreme Court decision.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom received ovations along the parade route for his role in working to overturn the state’s gay marriage ban.
Wade French, 61, and his partner, Brent Lock, 54, wed in San Francisco the day after the court’s decision took effect. At the parade, Lock wore a T-shirt reading “Finally married . . .” while French’s shirt read “. . . after 30 years together.”
“We always come to the parade, but this year is a different feeling because we’re celebrating something that’s personal to us,” Lock said.
In a taped interview Sunday morning on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the measure “ waste of time.”
“I personally believe that marriage should be between man and a woman,” Schwarzenegger said. “But at the same time I think that my, you know, belief, I don’t want to force on anyone else.”
In New York, Gov. David Paterson was cheered during the gay pride parade, one month after he directed state agencies to provide full marriage benefits to same-sex couples who were legally married elsewhere.
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.
