Authorities in Russia have registered one of the first transgender marriages in a country that positions itself as a bastion of traditional family values. Erika Askarova and Viktor Manuilin’s otherwise ordinary wedding made national headlines after the two posted photographs from the registry office in the city of Kazan on Dec. 12. Askarova, 30, and Manuilin, 20, told news outlets that they decided to make their relationship official months after they both changed their gender. “We’re absolutely normal people,” Askarova told the Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid. “We want to convey many things to the public, primarily that we’re worthy people,” she told the Mash Telegram channel in a video interview. When asked about potential threats to their safety, Askarova told the Idel. Realii news website she believes that the “fake” threats are the work of “invisible armchair generals of the internet.”