Over 30 gay organizations staged Taiwan's first gay/lesbian pride festival: Rainbows, Homosexuals and Dreams in the Park.

The park was 2-28 Memorial Park, a notorious nighttime cruising spot and the setting for Pai Hsien-yung's famed gay novel Crystal Boys.

Organizers said they hoped "to encourage recognition and friendship from the general public." They said "Taiwanese gays are experiencing a blossoming of open gay and lesbian life, spearheaded by 'G&L,', the country's bi-monthly, officially licensed magazine for homosexuals."

In Mexico City, about 5,000 people marched down Paseo de la Reforma, the city's main boulevard, from Chapultepec Forest to Alameda Central. Reforma skirts one side of the Zona Rosa, the city's gay neighborhood.

They chanted, "No political freedom without sexual freedom."

It was the city's 19th pride march.

The three openly gay candidates expected to win election to Congress in the July 6 elections addressed the crowd at a lengthy rally. (Final election results were not available when this report was filed.)

Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) candidate Patria Jiminez (whose election was all but guaranteed due to her placement on the proportional-representation PRD candidate list) called for demilitarization of Mexico City and the state of Chiapas, institutionalization of gay community spaces, and improved treatment for people with HIV and AIDS. The vast majority of Mexican AIDS patients cannot afford antiviral drugs.

Coverage of the march appeared in 12 of Mexico City's daily newspapers and on nine radio stations and six television channels. Mexico's four wire services filed reports as well.

In Berlin, organizers said 60,000 people marched but police said there were only 10,000. Many marchers carried signs calling for recognition of gay partnerships.

Five hundred people marched in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In Toronto, estimates of the turnout -- by police, organizers and reporters - - ranged from 750,000 to 1 million. Dykes on Bikes and topless female contingents captured much attention. A recent Ontario court ruling made it legal for women to bare their breast in public as long as their intentions are not sexual.

"By standing firm against discrimination and intolerance, you have forged strong and vibrant communities in our city," Mayor Barbara Hall told marchers.

In Rio de Janeiro, about 1,000 people paraded down Copacabana beach for two hours to the beat of Afro-Brazilian drums. It was the city's third pride march.

"This march is a matter of citizenship, greater tolerance and harmony," said Raimundo Pereira of the gay group Atoba. "Homosexuality is not a sickness or an abnormality, but just another sexual preference."

According to Reuters, "transvestites with 10-inch platform shoes, exotic costumes and thick makeup charmed the crowds, but mock lesbian brides dressed in long white wedding gowns stole the show."

The brides were accompanied by "sexy transvestite bridesmaids in neon green and orange wigs, short black dresses and fishnet stockings," the news service said.

Brazil's Congress is considering a wide-ranging domestic- partnership law that would grant same-sex couples many of the rights and responsibilities of matrimony.

In Israel, the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women hosted a pride-week meeting with gay and lesbian activists, chaired by Labor MK Yael Dayan. Deputy Health Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas party) passed by the meeting room and moved on quickly "before I catch some virus," activists reported.

About 3,000 people showed up at Lisbon, Portugal's first Pride Festival in Principe Real Park. The events, which included a variety show and a fireworks display, were heavily covered by the national media.

"This first event was considered historic, giving public visibility to gays and lesbians all over the country," said organizer Goncalo Diniz.

Eighty thousand people marched in London, England, July 5 and 300,000 attended the post-parade festival on Clapham Common.

New Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair sent openly gay National Heritage Secretary MP Chris Smith to represent him. Smith is Britain's first openly gay Cabinet member.

"The new Prime Minister has re-affirmed his commitment to gay and lesbian rights," said a spokesman for the pride organizers. "People ... will be cheering, not jeering, as they pass Downing Street."

Among other demands, some marchers called for the age-of-consent for gay sex to be lowered from 18 to 16, which is the legal age for heterosexual sex.

Entertainers on the main stage included longtime gay favorites the Pet Shop Boys and Erasure.