LGBT Couples Manages to get married in Russia

 

In Russia, land of the criminalization of "gay propaganda," gay marriage is obviously illegal. But two women have managed to register the country's very first same sex marriage, a move that has already drawn the ire of lawmakers intent on finding a way to, at the very least, annul the union. 

The two brides Irina Shumilova and Alyona Fursova were able to get married Shumilova one bride is a trans woman currently undergoing hormone therapy and her passport still lists her as male. LGBT rights activist Anna Anisimova explained to AFP: 

"The official registration by two women happened because one of them is a man according to the documents," she said. "Formally it was a wedding between a man and a woman but de-facto it was between two women."

"It was the first (LGBT wedding) in Russia. Both brides wore white dresses."

Yesterday, Russian legislator Vitaly Milonov claimed the marriage was an insult to Russian families and expressed plans to punish everyone involved in this beautiful union.  Via BBC: 

Mr Milonov - one of the most ardent supporters of the 2013 law - told Russian media the staff at the registry office should be tried for treason or criminal negligence.

He would seek the marriage's annulment to avoid "an ugly insult to millions of Russian families in the future", he added.

"There are certain moral standards which it is vital to implement," he said. "These mad people should be banned altogether from getting married."

Milonov is obviously seriously committed to undoing this great symbol of progress, so I hope that Shumilova and Fursova remain married and safe. 

Image via Shutterstock.