Riot cops fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a march through Istanbul, in Turkey, on Sunday afternoon.
The LGBT event had been banned after marchers were reportedly threatened with violence by hardcore nationalists.
Between 200 and 300 young protesters had defied the ban and turned out to march through the streets of Turkey's biggest and most modern city.
Police at the scene – who heavily outnumbered demonstrators – said 12 people had been arrested.
The protesters gathered in small groups in the busy Istiklal shopping street in a bid to evade the police.
They then unfurled giant rainbow flags from windows.
Protester Gizem Seker said: "We're protesting spread-out, because the police are everywhere and blocking everything."
Far right activists in the moderate Muslim country had vowed to stop the annual event – unless police did it for them.
The mayor of Istanbul then banned the march.
But some protesters decided to march anyway.
The riot police moved quickly to disperse the crowd – firing rubber bullets and tear gas and confiscating rainbow flags.
The government of hardline president Recep Erdogan appears to be moving the country in a more nationalist, conservative direction.
Another young protester, who gave her name as Irem, said: "What bothers the government is the visibility of the LGBT community.
"They don't want people to see us. And to be visible, rather than a march we have chosen to be here, on every corner of the street.
"And I think we've succeeded.
"We've spread ourselves out and love will win – I'm sure of it."
Personally I think this and the abolition of the Evolution theory prove that turkey is radical. [Will fill in on this further in a few minutes with an edit]
