NEW YORK (AP) - Gay Pride parades are set to step off around the world, in cities large and small.
In the U.S., celebrations are planned Sunday from coast to coast: in New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, as well as many smaller cities. Festivals were held Saturday in France, Spain, Mexico and Peru.
New York marchers will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots, which are credited with launching the modern gay rights movement in 1969. San Francisco's event is in its 44th year.
The U.S. festivities come amid an eventful year since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the statute that denied federal recognition to same-sex marriages and cleared the way for gay couples to wed legally in California. Since then, seven more states legalized same-sex marriage, boosting the total to 19, plus Washington, D.C.