Hundreds Take Part in Athens Gay Pride Parade and Demand Equal Rights for Family

The annual gay pride parade in Greece’s capital Athens saw hundreds of people take to the street in reiterating their demand for equal rights to civil union and adoption.

Titled "A Family Affair", the 10th Athens Pride held on central Klafthmonos Square was supported by nearly a dozen embassies including those of Britain, the United States and Canada.

Unprotected Sex Among the Gays on the Rise
In the United States the gays prefer to find out whether their partner’s HIV Status. This is the prevention method used rather than use protection to prevent catching the disease.

"This year, we focus on the concepts of equality and freedom of choice from the perspective of family life as defined by every LGBT person, and specifically on the legal recognition of all LGBT families," the organisers said.

Homosexuals in Greece have begun seeking greater visibility and voice in recent years, holding the country's first Gay Pride event in 2005.

"Yesterday in the closet, today on the streets, tomorrow with our children," read a banner carried by one group of participants.

Thousands of People Take to the Street in Gay Pride Parade in Rome
Ramping up the pressure on the Italian government to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, thousands of people took part in the annual Gay Pride parade across the capital city of Rome.

"Motherhood has no sexual orientation," said another.

Greek law on civil unions makes no specific provision for homosexual couples, and the first known same-sex civil marriage held in 2008 was annulled by a court a year later.

Gay capital reeling with rising HIV infection
The gay capital? of the world, San Francisco is now reeling under the shock waves of a rebound epidemic of HIV infection. In the past one-year the

The case brought Greece before the European Court of Human Rights, which condemned the staunchly Orthodox Christian nation last year for creating a "life partner" legal category excluding gays.

The influential Greek Orthodox Church officially frowns upon same-sex relations, and its previous head archbishop Christodoulos famously condemned homosexuality as a "defect".

China's First Gay Pride Event Will Lack the Fanfare
China's first Gay Pride event, organised by Shanghai's English-speaking expatriates, has been quietly celebrating homosexuality this week with no hint of a parade or advertising hype.

Source-AFP