Tens of thousands of people waving rainbow flags have lined US streets for gay pride parades in coast-to-coast events that took both celebratory and political tones, in a reaction to what some see as new threats to gay rights in the Trump era.
In San Francisco, revellers wearing rainbow tutus and boas held signs that read "No Ban, No Wall, Welcome Sisters and Brothers" while they danced to electronic music at a rally outside City Hall.
Frank Reyes said he and his husband decided to march for the first time in many years because they felt a need to stand up for their rights. The couple joined the "resistance contingent," which led the parade and included representatives from several activist organisations.
"We have to be as visible as possible," said Reyes, wearing a silver body suit and grey and purple headpiece decorated with rhinestones.
"Things are changing quickly and we have to take a stand and be noticed," Reyes' husband, Paul Brady, added.
Activists have been galled by the Trump administration's rollback of federal guidance advising school districts to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice.
The Republican president also broke from Democratic predecessor Barack Obama's practice of issuing a proclamation in honour of Pride Month.
At the jam-packed New York City parade, a few attendees wore "Make America Gay Again" hats, while one group walking silently in the parade wore "Black Lives Matter" shirts as they held up signs with a fist and with a rainbow background, a symbol for gay pride. Still others protested potential cuts to heath care benefits, declaring that "Healthcare is an LGBT issue."
AP
