Yesterday kicked off the beginning of a holiday weekend here in Brazil. It also coincides with Sao Paulo’s annual Gay Pride Parade happening on Sunday, the largest of its kind anywhere in the world. The theme this year is “For a world without racism, sexism and homophobia” and last year, 3 million people — we’re talking gay and straight — attended the festivities. So what do you do in the lead-up to the event? You party, of course. There’s no shortage of events leading to Sunday’s massive event, including a day dedicated to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and transvestites at Sao Paulo’s Hopi Hari, the biggest (how about those friggin’ superlatives?) amusement park in Latin America along with a cultural street fair and of course, the culminating event. The parade will boast 23 sound trucks with a closing performance by Fischerspooner on the last vehicle. To give you some insight into how progressive Brazil is, nine of these trucks are sponsored by governmental and non-governmental organizations, including major banks and the Ministry of Tourism. This is a country were gay couples can have the same rights as married straight couples. I heart Brazil.