STORY: Hundreds of Uruguayans turned out on Friday (September 26) for the country's Diversity March in Montevideo, celebrating the presence of the LGBT+ community in the country.

Marchers filled local streets with song and dance, but with a strong message of inclusion. They celebrated advancements in rights for the LGBT+ community but many said there is still work to do for greater inclusivity.

Uruguay, where homosexuality has been legal since 1934, has emerged as a global leader in LGBT+ rights within the last decade. The country has laws to guarantee the rights of the trans community and celebrates same-sex marriage.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY (SEPTEMBER 26, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. DIVERSITY MARCH 2025 PARTICIPANTS SINGING AND DANCING

2. PEOPLE KISSING / PERSON WAVING LGBTQ FLAG

3. PEOPLE MARCHING

4. PERFORMER AT MARCH APPROACHING CAMERA WHILE HOLDING LGBT+ FLAG

5. MARCH PARTICIPANT SHOUTING (Spanish) "What would become of us without us?"

6. MARCH PARTICIPANT HOLDING SIGN READING (Spanish) "Enforcing the law is not a privilege."

7. PERSON IN FEATHERED COSTUME SAYING (Spanish): "The 2025 diversity march, one of the largest in South America" AND BLOWING KISS TO CAMERA

8. MARCH PARTICIPANTS DANCING

9. MARCH PARTICIPANTS HOLDING LGBTQ FLAG

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ACTIVIST, NACHO (NO SURNAME GIVEN), SAYING:

"We have to move forward, to not abandon people who have always been left behind, people who have been abandoned by their homes, people who because of these kinds of problems have been abandoned from places where they felt safe simply for having a different sexual identity or for defining themselves differently. I think that's it, just hoping for progress."

11. MARCH PARTICIPANTS HOLDING BANNER AGAINST RACISM READING (Spanish): "No more racism".

12. MARCH PARTICIPANTS HOLDING SIGN READING (Spanish): "Black pride. Righteous anger."

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ACTIVIST, FERNANDA OLIVAR, SAYING:

"I believe we have made great changes, I think we achieved important progress in awareness, but there is still much to do for equality to be substantive and for us to truly enjoy the same rights, and that's why we have to defend them because they are always a conquest."

14. DIVERSITY MARCH IN PROGRESS

15. PERSON HOLDING SIGN READING (Spanish): "I love myself as I am"

16. PEOPLE DRESSED AS NUNS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION "SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE" A NON-PROFIT CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT RAISE MONEY FOR AIDS, LGBT-RELATED CAUSES

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MARCH PARTICIPANT, PEDRO CARRAU, SAYING:

"I think so, there is progress. Maybe it's not the most (progress), not the best, but you can tell there is progress. There's also an interest in educating on these issues, more than before."

18. MARCH WITH LEGISLATIVE PALACE ILLUMINATED WITH RAINBOW COLORS IN THE BACKGROUND