The organisers of a huge protest for gay marriage in New South Wales hope over 400 same-sex couples set a world record by sharing vows on Saturday 1 August, as Australia's LGBT community continues to fight for gay marriage.
"This really could be a turning point, I think, if we get a lot of ground support," says organizing spokesman Simon Margan of the Community Action Against Homophobia group.
"This is going to be an important year, because we've got a lot of the rights that we've asked for, so the next logical step is to demand formal recognition of our relationships," he told the Sydney Star Observer.
Meanwhile, a major Pride Festival to mark the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots will bring LGBT film, theatre, arts, markets, dinners, club nights and charity fundraisers to Sydney from 18 June to 1 July.
"The Stonewall Riots marked the beginning of the gay liberation movement that has transformed the oppression of gays and lesbians into calls for pride and action," say the organisers.
"Over the past decades we have all been witness to an astonishing flowering of gay culture that has changed the world forever. Join us as we celebrate 40 years of being out, proud and about. About making our voices heard and having the freedom to be who we are."
One of Sydney's most popular Oxford Street gay drinking haunts is called Stonewall, to remember the 1969 New York riots.
