- Title: GERMANY/FRANCE: GAY PARADES CALL FOR END TO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY
- Date: 28th June 1997
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (JUNE 28, 1997) (RTV) 1. GV TOPSHOT OF CROWDS GATHERED FOR MARCH/ PEOPLE IN PARADE WALKING ALONG 0.10 2. SV TRANSVESTITES IN CARNIVAL COSTUMES DANCING ALONG 0.38 3. SV DANCERS ON FLOAT THROWING CONDOMS TO CROWDS 0.47 4. SV PEOPLE HOLDING GIANT RAINBOW FLAG WLAKING ALONG/ GIRL BLOWING WHISTLE INTO CAM
- Embargoed: 13th July 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY/ PARIS, FRANCE
- City:
- Country: EUROPE France Germany
- Reuters ID: LVACR7WM99FPZOKZQNOVVO21RW2S
- Story Text: INTRO: Thousands of gay men and women have been parading through Berlin and Paris to commemorate the St Christopher Street riots in New York in 1969.
Gay men and women took to the streets of Paris and Berlin on Saturday (June 28) for colourful parades calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuality.
The annual Christopher Street Day parade through Berlin - one of many around the world held to commemorate street battles between police and homosexuals in New York's Christopher Street in 1969 - attracted huge crowds and colourful participants.
Police said around 10,000 people had taken part in the procession while organisers put the figure at 60,000. Around 250,000 of Berlin's 3.5 million population are homosexual, the organisers said.
In Paris thousands of people marched in support of legal recognition for homosexual couples during the city's annual Europride march.
From the Republique Square the procession danced along to a park on the east side of Paris where a concert is scheduled for Saturday evening.
The marchers - from across Europe and the United States - called for harmonization of their rights within the European Community and less descrimination in Eastern European countries.
The new French leftist government has promised gay couples the same legal rights as heterosexual couples in a "contact of social union".
French law does not now recognise gay or lesbian marriages although a handful of cities issue certificates of cohabitation to same-sex couples.
Around 23 French companies sponsored the march, including Kronenbourg beer, Danone and the RATP state Metro company issued a pink ticket giving passengers low price ticket during three days.
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