London Pride 2009

On Saturday 4th July an estimated 500,000 people crowded onto the streets of London for Pride 2009.Prime Minister Gordon Brown met organisers at Downing Street ahead of the march. Mr Brown's wife, Sarah, wore colourful necklaces over black clothes and carried a pink, red and white version of the union jack flag as she joined the head of the march.Human rights activist Peter Tatchell described civil partnerships for same-sex couples as a form of sexual apartheid. He said he was planning to press Mrs Brown to speak to her husband about giving gay people the right to marry in the same way as heterosexual couples.
Some of the largest cheers were reserved for members of the armed forces, emergency services and scouts marching in uniform.Boy George had a message for members of the Westboro Baptist Church.Thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square, where former M People vocalist Heather Small was cheered as she took to the stage to sing Proud.
The cast of hit West End show Avenue Q were among those who performed on the main stage.On the Urban Stage, hosted by Metrosexuality's Rikki Beadle-Blair, Michael Anthony Moonchild blew the crowd away with his tribute to Michael Jackson.Images exclusively for The Best of Men by Urban Shotz Photography