WARSAW, Poland β The capitals of Poland and Romania hosted festive gay pride parades that attracted thousands of people Saturday, as emboldened participants vowed to keep pushing for the eventual freedom to marry the person of their choice. A party-like atmosphere prevailed at the parade in Warsaw as people waved rainbow flags and danced. Some had signs and T-shirts with messages of tolerance or sass, including one of Russian President Vladimir Putin holding a rainbow.
The couple wore matching rainbow suspenders and bow ties. In the Romanian capital of Bucharest, the rights of same-sex couples also took center stage during a gay pride parade that came days after a major ruling in a marriage case. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled Tuesday that two men β one Romanian, the other American β are entitled to the same residency rights as other married couples in the European Union. A record number of gay pride marches β 12 β are scheduled across predominantly Catholic Poland this season, including in five cities having them for the first time.
Some of the new locations are considered conservative strongholds, like Rzeszow and Opole. A record number of foreign ambassadors to Poland β 52 β signed an open letter of support for LGBT rights, up from 42 last year.
There were reminders that the cause is not embraced by all. In Poland, a retail chain that sells books and music, Empik, changed its logo for the day into a rainbow. It sparked a heated debate online, with some vowing to boycott the business. A small group of counter-protesters showed up in Warsaw, but police kept them away from the parade. Participants in the opposition rally called for a referendum to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Orthodox Christian monk Ciprian Timofte said homosexual activity, which was decriminalized in , should be outlawed again in Romania. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. NBC News Logo.
