NEW YORK (AP) — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Delight reached its exuberant grand finale on Sunday, bringing rainbow-laden revelers to the streets for marquee parades in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere throughout the globe.

The wide-ranging festivities functioned as each jubilant events and political protests, as individuals acknowledge the neighborhood’s features whereas additionally calling consideration to latest anti-LGBTQ+ legal guidelines, corresponding to bans on transgender well being care, handed by Republican-led states.

“We’re at a time the place there’s a ton of laws, anti-LGBTQ+ laws,” Zach Overton, 47, mentioned on the New York parade. “It seems like we’re taking a step backwards within the battle for equality and so it’s an excellent second to return out and be with our neighborhood and see all of the completely different colours of the spectrum of our neighborhood and remind ourselves what we’re all preventing for.”

1000’s of individuals gathered alongside New York’s Fifth Avenue to have fun Delight. Floats cruised the road as Diane Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” performed from loudspeakers. Delight flags stuffed the horizon, and indicators in help of Puerto Rico, Ukraine and Gaza have been seen within the crowd.

This yr, tensions over the Israel-Hamas battle in Gaza additionally seeped into the celebrations, exposing divisions inside a neighborhood that’s usually aligned on political points. Protesters quickly blocked the New York parade on Sunday, chanting: “Free, free, free Palestine!” Police finally took a few of them away.

Professional-Palestinian activists disrupted satisfaction parades earlier in June in Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia. A number of teams taking part in marches Sunday mentioned they might search to spotlight the victims of the battle in Gaza, spurring pushback from supporters of Israel.

“It’s actually a extra lively presence this yr by way of protest at Delight occasions,” mentioned Sandra Pérez, the manager director of NYC Delight. “However we have been born out of a protest.”

The primary satisfaction march was held in New York Metropolis in 1970 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Inn rebellion, a riot that started with a police raid on a Manhattan homosexual bar.

Nick Taricco, 47, who was on the New York parade with Overton, mentioned he attended Friday’s opening of the Stonewall Nationwide Monument Customer Heart, the place President Joe Biden spoke. Taricco mentioned he has issues about politics within the U.S., together with the presidential election.

“Even given how previous he’s, I nonetheless assume that’s the route we have to go in,” Taricco mentioned of Biden. “But it surely’s a really unsure time on the whole on this nation.”

Eire Fernandez-Cosgrove, 23, celebrated on the New York parade.

“New York Metropolis is a good place to reside, however this is without doubt one of the solely days the place you may come out and be overtly queer and you’re going to be OK and secure about it,” she mentioned. “I got here out right here right this moment with my associate to have the ability to be ourselves in public and know that different individuals are going to be supporting us.”

Along with the NYC Delight March, the nation’s largest, the town additionally performed host Sunday to the Queer Liberation March, an activism-centered occasion launched 5 years in the past amid issues that the extra mainstream parade had grow to be too company.

One other one of many world’s largest Delight celebrations happened Sunday in San Francisco, with throngs of spectators lined up alongside Market Avenue.

Brian Peterson, the secretary of queer-friendly motorcycling membership Homoto, rode his bike alongside the parade route.

“That is an occasion the place I can have fun myself in addition to my associates and make new associates, and reaffirm that I belong on this world,” Peterson advised the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tens of hundreds of revelers packed sidewalks alongside Chicago’s parade, a scaled-back occasion from earlier years. Metropolis officers shortened the North Facet route and the variety of floats this yr from 199 to about 150 over security and logistical issues, together with to raised deploy police into night hours as post-parade events have grow to be extra disruptive in recent times. Chicago’s parade, one of many largest within the U.S., routinely attracts about 1 million individuals, in response to the town. Sunday’s crowd estimates weren’t instantly obtainable.

Parades additionally have been held in Minneapolis and Seattle.

On prime of issues about protests, federal companies had warned that overseas terrorist organizations and their supporters might goal the parades and adjoining venues. Safety was heavy at the entire occasions.