18 Jul 2012 14:19

Attempts to register same-sex marriage in Moscow illegal, self-publicity - registry office

MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax) - Attempts to register same-sex marriages at Moscow registry offices were used just to attract media attention to the "grooms" and "brides," head of a Moscow registry office Irina Muravyova said.

Such young couples come not to register a marriage, but to get a written refusal, she said.

"They stand at the door and have a dozen television cameras behind their backs," Muravyova said.

Under Russian law, a marriage can only be registered between a man and a woman, she noted.