Two hundred thousand people turned out for EuroPride June 28 in Paris.

More than 100 floats and thousands of marchers stretched three miles (five kilometers) from the Place de la Republique through the city's east side to Reuilly Lawn, site of an all-night concert.

Police estimated the crowd at 145,000, organizers said 300,000, and independent observers opted for 200,000.

EuroPride moves to a different city each year.

In the leadup to the parade, 5,000 athletes competed in the fifth gay EuroGames last week.

The greatest number of medals -- a whopping 107 (41 of them gold)-- was snagged by London's 82-member Out To Swim team.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the Euro blowout, France's new Socialist government said it will keep its promise to enact a gay partnership law.

"This is a promise we have made and we will keep it," said Justice Minister Elisabeth Guigou. "One cannot describe the union between two people solely in terms of marriage."

The proposed "contract of social union" will give gay/lesbian couples spousal rights in such areas as housing, inheritance and taxes.

A new poll by the weekly magazine L'Evenement du Jeudi has found that 59 percent of French people believe homosexuality is "homosexuals' own business," up from 33 percent eight years ago.

Twelve percent of those questioned said they approve of homosexuality while 28 percent said it is shocking or scandalous.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL APPROVES GAY-RIGHTS MEASURE

The European Council, composed of the heads of state of the 15-nation European Union, approved a treaty June 18 that endorses banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The treaty does not have the force of law -- but it does determine what laws can and cannot be passed by the European Union's Council of Ministers, which is composed mostly of EU- member-nation foreign ministers.

The relevant clause reads: "Without prejudice to the other provisions of this Treaty and within the limits of the powers conferred by it upon the [European] Community, the Council [of Ministers], acting unanimously on a proposal from the [European] Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, may take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation."

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Rex Wockner's Weekly International News dating back to mid-1994 is searchable at http://www.wockner news.com

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