Brazil demonstrates its diversity with 'the world's biggest gay pride parade'
Brazilian government officials have lauded the gay pride festival in Sao Paulo at the weekend as proof of the country's diversity and fun-loving spirit.
On Sunday, the city's Paulista Avenue hosted a festival crowd of 3 million people in a march against sexism, homophobia and racism - beating last year's turnout by around 500,000.
Marta Suplicy, Brazil's minister for tourism, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the parade was the "biggest on the planet", demonstrating Sao Paulo's "respect for diversity".
Nelson Matias Pereira, president of the parade, explained: "We want people to address machismo, racism and homophobia ... which still exists in Brazil."
According to the BBC, Sao Paulo's first gay pride parade was organised in 1997, when it attracted only 2,000 people.
In November last year, the Associated Press reported that the Brazilian lower house of congress passed a bill that would make discrimination against homosexuals a crime comparable to discrimination against people on the grounds of race, gender, religion or ethnicity.
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