The 1999 Gay Pride was a special event in Paris. First because if was the 30th Anniversary Parade. Also because it took on a political dimension. 1998 and 1999 have seen many debates about gay rights in France. These ended with the creation of the PACS (Pacte de Solidarité Civile or Civil Solidarity Pact) which, for all intents and purposes, is the French version of the "gay marriage". Thus this year's parade was a huge success, with probably about 200.000 people, gays and lesbians and straights, attending.
To know more about the 1999 Paris Gay Pride and all related issues, go to the site of Ooups !, the gay and lesbian magazine chosen as the Gay Pride's official partner.
Below is a map of the path taken by the parade in downtown Paris :
It was about 5 kilometers in all, which I walked back and forth about three times between 2pm and 6pm with very few rest stops. You won't be surprised that my feet ached a bit afterwards, despite having alternated between shoes on and bare feet to seek optimum comfort throughout the afternoon.
I took quite a number of pictures, so I have decided to divide them into three separate galleries to keep the individual pages smaller. So here we go :
