by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
About 1,800 people took part in Hong Kong's second gay pride parade Nov. 1, double last year's turnout.
With the theme "Be Proud! Be Yourself!" the hourlong march set off from Wan Chai and traveled Hennessy Road to Chater Garden in the city center.
Participants, including visitors from mainland China and Taiwan, carried rainbow flags, banners and posters, and sang, danced and chanted.
Contingents participated from the mainland provinces of Guizhou and Shandong, and the cities of Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tianjin.
The closing program in Chater Garden featured music and dance performances. At the end, pridegoers joined hands, raised them in the air and chanted, "Gay and straight living in harmony, equality and mutual respect."
Following a successful campaign this year to have same-sex couples covered under Hong Kong's domestic violence law, activists now plan to push for GLBT protections in the anti-discrimination law.
