A Moscow court on Tuesday ruled against two lesbians seeking to become Russia’s first legally married gay couple.

Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shipitko said the Tverskoi District Court upheld a decision by the city’s civil registry that said Russian law defined marriage as between a woman and a man.

“We want recognition of our relationship by society and the state. We are a family already, we live together and share household chores,” Shipitko said. “We also would like to have children.”

Nikolai Alexeyev, a gay rights activist who is serving as the women’s lawyer, said they planned to fight the ruling.

The two women said they would fly to Canada and wed Oct. 23 to force authorities to recognize the union.

(AP)