Gay Parade 2012: Best Moments from New York

The lesbian, gay and transsexual community in New York, San Francisco and other parts of the United States took to the streets to celebrate their freedom to announce formal marital relationships - a freedom that is now a year old in New York and 42 wonderful years old in other areas, including San Francisco. In New York alone some two million people marched through Fifth Avenue, for a parade that was themed - Share The Love - a theme that has ruled the event since 1970. Some people were seen wearing t-shirts that read: "Obama Pride", as an ode to US President Barack Obama, who announced his support for gay marriages in 2012.

"The government should get out of your personal life. New York is a place where you can do whatever you want to do," Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, told NBC New York. Among the attendees was City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who was recently married to long-time partner Kim Catullo.

"A year ago, I was walking with my fiancée. Today, I'm marching with my wife, my father and the mayor," Quinn was quoted as saying in a Washington Post report.

"It is the first time that anyone at that level of our government has recognized the legitimacy of our relationship. It was much more of a protest. We couldn't walk on 5th Avenue. Today, it's much more of a celebration," explained Mahood, 73, who attended the gay parade in New York. Mahmood has not missed a single parade since 1971.

According to the Chron in San Franciso, more than 200 floats made their way down Market Street, the city's main thoroughfare. A few marchers were dressed in brightly coloured outfits made from balloons while many other participants and parade watchers wore hardly anything. Over in Chicago, Illinois, protestors campaigned for the state to allow gay marriages. The protests in Chicago and the parades in San Francisco and New York come only weeks after 25 Illinois couples sued the state for the right to marry.

Check out some of the best moments from the 2012 Gay Parade from all across the US