Spain's gays march to new tune
  - (SA)  
 

Madrid, Spain - This year's Gay Pride march through downtown Madrid was expected to draw hundreds of thousands on Saturday as homosexuals celebrated the new Socialist government's promises to legalize same-sex marriages.

Madrid's predominantly gay neighborhood of Chueca prepared for the annual celebration by draping rainbow flags outside windows and decorating streets and windows.

The Socialists ousted the conservative Popular Party in general elections in March and promised sweeping changes in Spain's social laws, including making abortions and divorce easier to legally obtain.

Last week, Parliament urged the government to amend the country's civil code to permit same-sex marriages. Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar said legislators will start reforming articles in the code as early as September, and that gay marriage could become a reality early next year