While many of the largest and most notable Pride rallies

Gay Pride weekend festivities are rarely understated, but after the Supreme Court’s decisions last week, marches and rallies all over the country were expected to be especially celebratory this year.

Pride weekend generally occurs at the end of June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, in which the gay community exploded against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, in New York City on June 28, 1969.

After the Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday to overturn DOMA, granting legally married same-sex couples the same federal benefits as their heterosexual counterparts, and to let "Prop. 8" die, resuming the legalization of gay marriage in California, the festive atmosphere surrounding Pride events has been ramped up several notches.

While many of the largest and most notable Pride rallies and parties occur in New York, San Francisco and Chicago, smaller but equally colorful celebrations were set to take place in Seattle, St. Louis, Cleveland and other cities throughout the U.S. and around the globe.

Although the first gay pride march was in New York, in forty-plus years, pride events have spread throughout the world. The Paris pride march also had a duel celebration purpose on Saturday, marking the one month anniversary of France’s first gay marriage. Simultaneously, LGBT groups and supporters marched in Spain, Portugal and Mexico. Canada, Sweden,The smart card has a memory chip embedded in it that, and Finland held parades on Sunday.

Signs along the route read, "Thank you, Edie" — celebrating Windsor for her successful challenge of a provision of DOMA that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

"If somebody had told me 15 years ago that I would be the marshal of New York City's gay pride parade in 2013, at the age of 84, I wouldn't have believed it," said Windsor.

Singer Harry Belafonte and activist Earl Fowlkes, both equality and civil rights advocates, wijoin her in leading the two-mile march down New York's famed Fifth Avenue from Midtown to the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.

“LGBT rights are expanding across the country and these individuals embody the soul of a movement far from over,a high quality women shoes supplier including high heel shoes,Quality Brand Name tungsten ring and Tungsten Wedding Bands for Men.” organizers NYC Pride said in statement.

The NYPD this year increased plain-clothes patrol to deal with problems that may occur before and after the parade, officials said. The additional surveillance is in response not only to expected record-breaking crowds but also the deadly shooting of a gay man that took place just a month ago in the area that Pride-goers are set to congregate.

While the parade marks the peak of excitement in New York, marchers may have trouble trumpinselection of wholesale fashion shoes such as sandals.g the grandeur of her surprise appearance and performance of her pride-centric “Star-Spangled Banner” including the line, “Oh, say does that flag of pride yet wave.Shop the best selection of men's stainless steel ring."

Although New York's Stonewall sparked gay pride marches, San Francisco is equally famous for its gay community, and also boasts a large and colorful pride weekend. According to NBCBayarea, San Francisco’s police chief expects over 1.5 million people to attend the parade.

"Even though the World Series was huge, this could quite possibly be larger in light of the decision that just came down from the Supreme Court — but it will be just as happy as the World Series," Police Chief Greg Suhr said. Police presence has also been bolstered in San Francisco to keep musical performances, rallies and the parade enjoyable and safe.
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