They marched from Wan Chai to Chater Garden in Central in their colorful and oftentimes sexy costumes, singing and dancing along the way while venting their anger at the city's "homophobic" laws and attitudes.

Most of them carried little rainbow flags to signify the diverse cultures in the homosexual community.

The parade's director, Connie Chan Man-wai, said the event gave the gay community the opportunity to express themselves with pride.

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She said the parade has attracted participants from Shanghai, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Chan said she had asked the Hong Kong Tourism Board to post the parade information on its website but had received no reply.

"The government always says how much it values equal rights but no official showed up today," Chan said. She had also sent invitations to the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Equal Opportunities Commission, but neither had bothered to reply.

One participant, Joseph Cho Man-kit, said the parade meant a lot to him personally.

"In 365 days, we only have one day to be our true selves and to express our feelings happily and proudly. Many homosexuals do not dare let their families find out their sexual orientation," Cho said.

One of the parade first-timers, Ashford Pritchard, said the gay and lesbian community had always been "invisible" in society, marginalized by their own fears of exposure or by society's unacceptance.

The parade was a good opportunity to show that such a community does exist in Hong Kong, he said.

Another participant, Chung Shin-yan, said he joined the parade because he was disgusted with the intolerance of some religious groups.

The parade ended at 6pm after performances by several bands at Chater Garden.