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NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on gay pride parades nationwide (all times local):
3:45 p.m.
Hillary Clinton joined state and city elected officials in marching to celebrate gay pride in New York City.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was accompanied by fellow Democrats Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rev. Al Sharpton as she walked along a part of the parade route.
Thousands stood behind barricades as the parade made its way down Fifth Avenue and into Greenwich Village.
The parade had started earlier Sunday with a moment of silence for the victims of the massacre at Pulse, an Orlando gay nightclub, earlier this month. Pulse owner Barbara Poma was leading the parade atop a Stonewall Inn float.
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2:55 p.m.
The executive director of Orlando's LGBT Center says the support he's feeling in New York City's pride parade is "a little overwhelming."
Terry DeCarlo was among the thousands marching down Fifth Avenue on Sunday in the annual parade. He said he wishes the 49 people who died in the Orlando gay nightclub shooting earlier this month were marching today with everyone.
But, he said, "just feeling the love from New York means a lot to us."
The parade started off with a moment of silence for the victims of the massacre at Pulse. Pulse owner Barbara Poma rode atop a Stonewall Inn float wearing a rainbow print dress and bow tie, leading the parade.
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12:20 p.m.
New York City's annual gay pride parade has begun with a moment of silence for the victims of the massacre at an Orlando gay nightclub.
Crowds of people lined up a dozen deep Sunday along Fifth Avenue. Many waved rainbow flags.
Authorities have ramped up security at pride parades around the country. In New York City, thousands of officers were lining the route, along with plainclothes officers in the crowd.
Along with honoring the Orlando shooting victims, the parades are marking a celebratory milestone: President Barack Obama on Friday designated the site around New York City's Stonewall Inn as the first national monument to gay rights.
Two weeks ago Sunday, 49 people died in Orlando after a gunman stormed the nightclub and began firing.
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Noon
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York will honor the 49 people killed in a shooting at a gay bar in Florida with a monument.
Cuomo announced the LGBT Memorial Commission on Sunday, before the start of the annual gay pride parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
The 10-member commission will come up with recommendations on the design of the memorial and the specific location by year's end.
Cuomo says the memorial will honor all victims of hate and intolerance.
He also announced that the site around the Stonewall Inn would be designated as a state historic site. On Friday, President Barack Obama designated it as the first national monument to gay rights.
A 1969 police raid on the bar was a major catalyst of the gay rights movement.
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11:10 a.m.
Onlookers have already started lining up along Fifth Avenue to get the best vantage point for New York City's famous gay pride parade.
Police were busy tightening the metal barricades to contain a crowd they say is expected to be bigger than usual this year. In addition to uniformed officers, police say a ramped up security force includes plainclothes officers mingling with observers.
Parades in San Francisco and other cities Sunday will also see increased security. There will also be tributes to the victims of this month's massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida that left 49 people dead.
Pre-parade activities included a handful of people walking down traffic-free Fifth Avenue holding banners with photos of those who died in Orlando.
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12:55 a.m.
Last year, New York City's storied gay pride parade celebrated a high point with the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide. This year, the atmosphere surrounding the march is very different.
Parades in San Francisco and other cities Sunday will also see increased security. There will also be tributes to the victims of this month's massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida.
Celebrations planned around such themes as supporting transgender people have quickly taken on new meanings.
But organizers don't want to eliminate the exuberance of events rooted in declaring that gay people aren't afraid to be seen and heard.
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