BRAZIL: Thousands of people turn out on Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana beach for the city's 14th annual gay pride parade

Record ID: 277502

  • Title: BRAZIL: Thousands of people turn out on Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana beach for the city's 14th annual gay pride parade
  • Date: 4th November 2009
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (NOVEMBER 1, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOP VIEWS OF COPACABANA BEACH DURING THE GAY PARADE GAY COUPLE KISSING TWO TRANSSEXUALS KISSING TRANSSEXUALS DRESSED UP IN RAINBOW COLORS WALKING DOWN COPACABANA BEACH AVENUE REVELER DENISE CORREA IN THE PARADE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) REVELER DENISE CORREA, SAYING: "I come here every year, I am an enthu
  • Embargoed: 19th November 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA4OWB6GS18GV6HY36FT6QZTTMK
  • Story Text: Trucks decorated with rainbow flags and colorful balloons paraded down Copacabana beach on Sunday (November 1) as thousands danced to electronic and pop rhythms in Rio de Janeiro's 14th annual gay pride parade.
    Despite the rainy weather, revelers donned colourful and revealing costumes and danced through the beach avenue in what is considered to be Rio's third biggest official event after Carnival and New Year's celebrations.
    Reveler Denise Correa said the parade is a demonstration of cariocas' - Rio residents - joyful spirit.
    "I come here every year, I am an enthusiast. This is the biggest show in the world along with the Carnival. This is the spirit of the carioca (Rio's natives): joy, party, no repression, no prejudice. This is the message that Rio sends to the world today and always," she said.
    As DJs blasted music from seventeen sound trucks and people in the dense crowds danced and celebrated, some wearing wigs, masks and carnival-style outfits, volunteers handled some half million condoms.
    This year's theme of the parade officially known as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) Pride Parade, was "I have the right to live and love freely."
    U.S.-born Jim Shattuck lives in Rio for ten years with his Brazilian husband and thinks the parade is a great opportunity to show sexual diversity.
    "I come here because I'm proud of who I am, I'm proud of my husband, I'm proud of being a part of a community that is so open and embracing and so filled of joy and love for each other, for the people. This is a terrific opportunity for us to feel the love and share that, and to be visible, to let people know that there are all kinds of people," he said.
    Rio is running for "best global destination" category of the TripOut Gay Travel Awards, organized by MTV's Logo channel, along with Barcelona, London, Montreal, Sydney and Buenos Aires.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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