**Thousands of gay and lesbian activists have marched through Washington to demand greater civil rights.**The protest took place a day after President Barack Obama said he would repeal a ban on gay people serving openly in the military.
The marchers in Washington also called for the speedy removal of legal restrictions on same-sex partnerships.
Mr Obama has been accused by some in the gay community of being slow to act on gay rights.
On Sunday, the protesters in Washington carried signs urging President Obama to make good on his campaign promise to end the ban on openly gay people serving in the military.
“If somebody doesn’t have equal rights, then none of us are free,” activist Jason Yanowitz, 37, told the Associated Press.
“Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach”
Barack Obama
Letting down gay supporters](http://www.paklinks.com/2/low/americas/8297500.stm)
The president has also been criticised for not delivering on his promise to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits how local and federal bodies can recognise gay partnerships and determine benefits.
Polls consistently show there are far more opponents of gay marriage than there are supporters, the BBC’s Imtiaz Tyab in Washington reports.
‘Punishing patriots’
In his speech on Saturday, Mr Obama said: “I appreciate that many of you don’t believe progress has come fast enough. Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach.”
He was speaking to America’s largest gay group - the Human Rights Campaign - in Washington.
The president also said the US had made progress on gay rights and would make more.
On the military issue he said the US could not afford to lose those people who had much needed skills for fighting.
“We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country,” Mr Obama said.
“We should be celebrating their willingness to step forward and show such courage.”
Mr Obama did not give a timetable for repeal of the policy, passed by Congress in 1993, under which thousands of service members have been discharged.