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As Putin Leaves Argentina, Gay Russians Marry in Buenos Aires

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Marina Mironova and Oxana Tomofeeva had been raising their son Nikolai for over a decade in Russia as the policy trend has advanced further against gays.

When authorities eventually threatened to seize Nikolai because of their relationship, the two women left for a better life in Argentina. Now pursuing asylum with the government in Buenos Aires, they finally married last Wednesday as Argentina celebrated the fourth anniversary of its nation-wide legalization of same-sex marriage.

This follows a similar story of a gay couple wedding in February of this year who also sought asylum from Russia, reports the Buenos Aires Herald.

Argentina legalized same-sex marriage for foreigners in 2012, two years after President Christina Fernández Kirchner signed equal marriage for citizens into law. Repression in Russia has amplified since 2013 inaugurated the infamous propaganda law which banned most public activism for LGBT rights.

The anniversary of the 2010 victory has been much celebrated but there is still social backlash against gay peoples and same-sex marriage. Despite this, La Nacion reports over 7,500 gay couples have been married in Argentina since the passage of the law.

This has been in large part due to the efforts of activist groups in Argentina, including the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Trans (FALGBT) who was present to celebrate the union of Mironova and Tomofeeva. Claudia Castrosín, vicepresident of the FALGBT said of the marriage

“With much joy and pride we will accompany Marina and Oxana in their marriage. They have escaped the laws that criminalize sexual diversity in Russia for our country’s guarantees of legal equality and the right to be.”

The anniversary comes days after Russian President Vladamir Putin met with President de Kirchner in Buenos Aires. There was protesting in the capital by supporters of Ukrainian sovereignty and LGBT equality, however LGBT topics were not raised.

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If only the world was as “open-minded” as us… Alas, matters of sexual identity and equal love, often cause so much friction in the rest of the world. Here, find an open dialogue on the issues facing our LGBT community.

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