WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME

Alternative title: maybe pride means something to me but I don't want this link to be so long.

If you follow my blog, you remember how I felt about Pride Month and how it felt so alien to me as a Russian immigrant, how it was about grievances over celebration that we're still alive. Well, now I'm medicated and live in a country where Pride events actually exist. So there lies the question…

Did I Change My Opinion on Things?

Here's what I wrote before attending:

20th of June is when most of Pride events happen in Moldova and I think I will find it quite good. What I expect from Pride is that it's a day when you see that you're not really alone and you shouldn't give up. Something about physical of presence of others calms me. It's like the time when I was at protests at Tbilisi, I felt quite good there because there was an enormous amount of people with the same goal and ideals.

I still don't like that Pride Month is mostly centered around a US history, even if it's celebrated worldwide mainly because of said history. As I mentioned in last post about Pride, Russia had still been with "no homo" law even after the Stonewall events until the said law was lifted. I didn't mention, however, that the queer scene in Russia existed at least since the Russian Empire. And that there was a small time frame when homosexuality after October Revolution until Stalin (1917–1933) was decriminalized, which lifted censorship in publishing queer artwork (not without caveats though). All of these nuances are available to read on wiki. I'm pretty sure Moldova has it's own history too.

Here are my thoughts after attending:

Soooo… First things first, I'm glad that there was an artist market and no corporate merch, I bought a pretty gay man bracelet. I, not gonna lie, wanted to see furry merch too, but nothing was found because furry scene is nonexistent in Moldova, sigh. The place itself sucked for my neurodivergent brain, it was a small place with a huge amount of people and I don't handle loud crowds well. And it was also HOT AS HELL. I anticipated to feel more aligned with people there and have the celebratory feeling, but instead I felt like a wallflower at the lame party. Sad! But that's not important because…

I Got Married (Unofficially)

Yup, that's right! I'm officially married to Sheila, my old close friend, partner, and now my husband! That's probably the only greatest thing ever at this event, LOL. I'm very happy that I got to marry this dork, I didn't expect it to happen so soon (I'm 23). You can see the marriage footage bellow

Me marrying @sheilalieber.at.app.wafrn.net today at Moldova Pride 2026 :] #irl #pride

[image or embed]

— mem 🐕🏳️‍⚧️ (@vv0ltz.neocities.org) 20:37 · Jun 20, 2026

The marriage is unofficial because in Moldova same sex marriage is still not legal. There are overall a lot of misconceptions about queer people in governmental structures which is why we still struggle with getting a refugee status – because they think we're not in danger and because trans people don't exist to them. For further reading check blog post "Until You're Gone, Don't Come".

Some Queer Moldova History

I liked the boards that specifically mention Moldovan history about same sex marriage, here they are below

ENG: AS EARLY AS 1998, IN THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE 'ЗЕРКАЛО', THE RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY WAS FORMULATED AS A CONDITION FOR SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND OVERCOMING PREJUDICE. AT A TIME WHEN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY IN MOLDOVA WAS JUST BEGINNING TO VISIBLY ORGANIZE ITSELF, THE THEME OF FAMILY, LOVE, AND LEGAL RECOGNITION WAS ALREADY PRESENT IN THE MOVEMENT'S PUBLIC DISCOURSE. THIS DEMAND HAS ACCOMPANIED THE COMMUNITY SINCE THE FIRST YEARS OF ITS ORCANIZATION. ENG: IN DECEMBER 1999, THE TOPIC OF LGBTQ+ RIGHTS ENTERED A PUBLIC AND LEGAL DISCUSSION FRAMEWORK THROUGH THE SEMINAR 'HUMAN RIGHTS AND SEXUAL MINORITIES IN MOLDOVA'. THE DISCUSSIONS CONNECTED THE REALITIES OF MOLDOVA TO EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS REGARDING THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY, EQUALITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION. PEOPLE'S INTIMATE PROBLEMS WERE BEGINNING TO BE FORMULATED AS ISSUES OF RIGHTS AND PUBLIC POLICIES.
1998-1999
ENG: IN FEBRUARY 2000, THE REPORT 'HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE LAW' CLEARLY SHOWED THAT THE EXCLUSION OF SAME-SEX COUPLES FROM MARRIAGE PRODUCES CONCRETE LEGAL INEQUALITIES. THIS CONCERNED HOUSING RIGHTS, INHERITANCE, PROPERTY, PENSIONS, MEDICAL DECISIONS AND LEGAL PROTECTION FOR PARTNERS. THE THEME OF RECOGNIZING RELATIONSHIPS WAS THUS PLACED IN A PRAGMATIC FRAMEWORK THE STATE DID NOT PROTECT FAMILIES THAT ALREADY EXISTED IN REALITY ENG: SINCE JANUARY 2001, THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY IN MOLDOVA BEGAN TO CREATE THEIR OWN SAFE SPACES, WHERE PEOPLE COULD DANCE, SOCIALIZE, AND LOVE WITHOUT FEAR. IN THESE MEETINGS, THE FIRST PUBLIC GESTURES OF RECOGNITION OF COUPLES EMERGED, WHEN PARTNERS WANTED THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO BE SEEN AND RESPECTED BY THE COMMUNITY. THESE MOMENTS FUNCTIONED AS EARLY FORMS OF SOLIDARITY, IN A CONTEXT WHERE OFFICIAL RECOGNITION WAS IMPOSSIBLE.
2000-2001
ENG: IN 2006, AT THE 'RAINBOW OVER THE NISTRU' FESTIVAL, A SYMBOLIC WEDDING CEREMONY BETWEEN TWO WOMEN DREW ATTENTION TO THE GAPS IN MOLDOVAN LEGISLATION. THE CEREMONY HAD NO LEGAL VALUE, BUT IT BECAME A PUBLIC GESTURE THROUGH WHICH THE COMMUNITY DEMANDED EQUAL RIGHTS: TO FAMILY, COMMON LIFE, INHERITANCE, PROTECTION IN CASE OF ILLNESS AND SOCIAL RECOGNITION. THE PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURE AN ACT OF VISIBILITY IN A SOCIETY WHERE LOVE BETWEEN PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX WAS PUSHED TO THE MARGINS.
2006
ENG: IN 2007, OLEG AND ANDREI CAME TO PRIDE HAND IN HAND, SHOWING THAT SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS ALREADY EXISTED, EVEN IF THE LAW REFUSED TO SEE THEM. THEIR SYMBOLIC CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTED THE VULNERABILITY OF LGBTQ+ COUPLES WHO LIVED TOGETHER, BUILT FAMILIES AND LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS, BUT REMAINED OUTSIDE OF ANY LEGAL PROTECTION. BEHIND THE FESTIVE GESTURE WAS A POLITICAL QUESTION: HOW CAN THE STATE IGNORE PEOPLE WHO PUBLICLY COMMIT TO THEIR LIVES TOCETHER?
2007
ENG: IN 2008, CRISTINA AND OLESEA TOOK TO THE STAGE WEARING MASKS, A POWERFUL IMAGE OF THE LIVES THAT MANY LGBTQ+ PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO LIVE IN HIDING. THE MOMENT SPOKE OF FEAR, SOCIAL PRESSURE AND LACK OF SAFETY, BUT ALSO OF THE COURAGE TO DEMAND VISIBILITY IN A SOCIETY THAT STILL REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE THE DIVERSITY OF FAMILIES. MASKS HAVE BECOME A SYMBOL OF THE PAINFUL COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE DESIRE TO BE SEEN AND THE NEED TO REMAIN PROTECTED.
2008

Conclusion

So yeah, I had high expectations about attending Pride being something revolutionary to my mind, but that turned out to be a boring party. Well, to me. I dunno, I like spending time with my family or alone instead of big events, I guess, so my honest reaction is "meh". I appreciate that it exists though.