Anastasia and Anna changed their last names so that they could more convincingly pretend that they are sisters in Russia.
Anastasia Domini and her wife, Ana Domini, walk hand in hand in the Argentine capital, while their four children play nearby. It’s a common sight in a country where same-sex marriage has been legal for more than a decade.
But Anastasia and Anna, who married shortly after their arrival in Buenos Aires early last year, still remember the fear they felt when they decided to approach each other publicly after leaving Russia, which explicitly banned same-sex marriage.
“It was really scary,” said Anastasia Domini, but “we were looking around, really, nobody was looking.”
And Anastasia and Anna changed their last names so that they could more convincingly pretend that they are sisters in Russia.
difficulties in Russia
The two women see the outing as an example of how much their lives have changed since moving to Argentina, joining a growing number of LGBTQ Russians who have decided to leave their homeland and settle in Argentina to escape discrimination and the war with Ukraine.
Over the past decade, living openly as a member of the LGBT community in Russia has become increasingly difficult.
And in December 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that dramatically expanded restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBT rights in the country, building on a law that had been in place since 2013 and which independent researchers say has led to a surge in violence against minorities. .
The Argentine LGBT Federation has received about 130 inquiries over the past year and a half from Russians interested in seeking asylum in Argentina.
“The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has accelerated the decision of many people who were already in a fragile situation,” said Mariby Sgariglia, who heads the organisation’s international relations department.
In January, 4,523 Russians entered Argentina, more than four times as many as last year, according to government figures.
