Sao Paulo Gay Pride draws huge crowd and call to protect rights

Crowds throng around a bus at Sao Paulo's Gay Pride ParadeAFP

Huge crowds have taken part in this year's Gay Pride parade in Brazil's biggest city, Sao Paulo.

A participant joins revellers at the 21st Gay Pride Parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 18 June, 2017EPA

Its organisers said as many as three million people had joined the parade, which wound its way down Paulista Avenue.

Four participants in coloured wigs take part in the Gay Pride parade in Sao PauloAFP

The crowds rejected religious conservatives in Brazil's Congress, saying they were openly hostile to members of the LGBT community.

People attending Sao Paulo's Gay Pride parade carry a rainbow flagAFP

One of the organisers of the parade, Claudia Santos Garcia, said: "Our main enemies today are the religious fundamentalists seeking to end the rights we already gained."

Two women hold signs reading "LGBT without Temer" at the Sao Paulo Gay Pride paradeAFP

Those attending demanded the government protect gay rights, while some called for President Michel Temer to leave office.

A man with the words "Stop killing us" takes part in Sao Paulo's Gay Pride paradeAFP

Homophobic violence is a serious problem in Brazil, where so far this year more than 160 LGBT people have been killed.

A man in body paint joins the Gay Pride parade in Sao Paulo.EPA

The parade was also a celebration of gay rights and the LGBT community, with many dressing up in elaborate costumes.

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