Amsterdam Red Light District

Today the 12th edition of the Gay Pride parade is more colorful than ever. The historic canals of Amsterdam are full of eccentrically decorated rainbow boats and dressed up people.  Never before has the parade had so many participants.

According to the organization more than seventy boats participate.

In Amsterdam, the city approves permits for parade boats, unlike in most other cities where floats are approved by Pride committees. Amsterdam's mayor Job Cohen initially opposed the idea of a youth boat (under the age of 16), but allowed the boat to participate when parents promised to join in.

"Heterosexuals see each other at school, at the sports club or just on the streets. Gay and lesbian youth have to go to specially organized events to meet one another", says van Dalen, president of COC Netherlands. He notes that for youth under 16, such events are rarely organized.

This year for the first time there are also boats with heterosexuals, mentally disabled people and two boats with civil servants of the city of Amsterdam. This as a statement of solidarity with the gay community in a time when homophobic attacks are on the rise again.