Not even two weeks have passed since same-sex marriage became legal in California and drag queens, kids, politicians, shirtless men, married couples, straight couples and tourists gathered in San Francisco for the city's 38th annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration, which peaked Sunday with a massive parade.

You could see marriage prerequisites all around Market Street as throngs of people streaked for the annual event, with veils and wedding outfits as the fashion choice of many parade participants and spectators. Hardly dressed boys and girls, and boys dressed as girls, were also ready for it during a celebration that looked like it drew more people and families than in the previous years, although official head count numbers were not available straightaway.

Among other things, many of the speakers and parade participants took the opportunity to campaign against a measure on the November tally that would invalidate the current court ruling and forbid same-sex marriage in the state.

Loud acclaims, cheers and whoops began even before the parade, with some members of the wild horde climbing on top of anything they could so they may catch a view of the more than 200 floats and other parade contingents.

Later, revelers who continued the party with live music and speakers, drinking and eating, filled the Civic Center. The Bay Area’s diversity was at its best with the all-ages, multicolored crowd consisting of high school students bumping shoulders with young parents, elderly gay, lesbian and straight couples and transgender people. Police said the event was mostly calm. Only three arrests for public intoxication were registered by 5:30 p.m.

Ann and Jay Summers of Springfield, Mo., said they were overfilled with joy to see the Gay Pride Parade live for the first time.

"The diversity and number of people who support justice and equality and freedom for all people is one thing we enjoyed," said Ann Summers, whose brother died of AIDS. "One of his last wishes was to come to the parade before he died. He came once, and now we're here all these years later."

Meanwhile, during New York City's parade, Gov. David Paterson was applauded, one month after he urged state agencies to recognize and give full marriage benefits to same-sex couples who were legally married in other state or country. The first New York governor to march in the gay pride parade took part at the event even thought he had a cataract removal surgery on Saturday. The personalities marching down Fifth Avenue in the parade were announced by the drag queen that was standing at the base of the steps to the New York Public Library dressed in a red miniskirt, candy-cane-striped stockings and a green Afro wig.

Similar festivities took part in different corners of the world. In the deeply conservative India, where homosexual acts are against the law, hundreds chanted for gay rights in Calcutta, Bangalore and New Delhi in the biggest display of gay pride the country has ever seen. Marches also took place during the weekend in cities like the Bulgarian capital of Sofia; Brno, Czech Republic; Paris; Lisbon, Portugal; Mexico City, and Toronto. In Jerusalem, about 3,000 gay and lesbian supporters marched through the city escorted by 2,000 police.