Thousands March in Australian Gay Pride Parade
SYDNEY, Australia — Led by a rainbow-colored Noah’s Ark and pairs of dancing men in animal costumes, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade wound through the streets Saturday before a crowd expected to number 750,000.
About 200 floats and 7,000 marchers took part in the parade--now in its 23rd year--which has grown from a civil rights march to one of the world’s largest gay pride events.
Floats and marchers generally chose to either sparkle or satirize--often both. One float was covered in multicolored “rings of friendship” reminding onlookers that Sydney hosts the 2000 Olympics in September.
The parade has become a huge moneymaker, bringing an estimated $100 million to the city in 1998.
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