NEW DELHI (AP) Gay rights activists sang songs and carried rainbow-colored flags while marching to the beat of traditional Indian drums Sunday, as they paraded through India's capital to demand an end to the stigmatization of gays in the deeply conservative country.
The demonstrators urged an end to all forms of discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgenders in India, four years after a colonial-era law that criminalized gay sex was overturned.
One group of activists carried a 15-meter (50-foot) rainbow-colored banner, while others waved placards demanding the freedom to lead dignified lives.
The march ended with a public meeting at Jantar Mantar, the main area for protests in New Delhi. Many gay rights group members and their families danced and sang as drummers and musicians performed. Others distributed rainbow-colored flags and badges to members of the public who gathered to watch and listen to the speeches.
Many demonstrators had come to the march to express their support for the gay community in the city.