A Moscow court on Tuesday denied the request of lesbian couple Irina Fedotova-Fet and
Irina Shipitko (pictured) to marry in Russia.

The Tverskoi district court ruled against Fedotova-Fet and Shipitko, upholding the assertion by the city’s civil registry that marriage is restricted to opposite-sex couples in Russia.

The women and their lawyer plan to continue to fight the ruling, according to the Associated Press.  

“The two women said they planned to fly to Canada later this month to marry and then return to Russia, in a bid to force authorities to recognize the marriage,” the Associated Press reported.

Although homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in the 1990s, social attitudes remain very opposed to gay rights in many parts of the country.