Gay Dads Were Forced To Flee Russia With Their Adopted Kids

A gay married couple was forced to flee Russia after concerns that the pair's adopted children could potentially be taken away as targets of the country's anti-gay laws.

As the story goes, Andrei Vaganov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev wed in Denmark in 2016 with the former adopting the couple's 14- and 12-year-old sons: Denis and Yuri. While Yerofeyev is considered to be one of the two fathers, he has "no legal relationship" to them and that's when things became difficult. "We never asked our children to hide anything. This was our conscious position, explaining why is it somehow stigmatizing and so on," Vaganov said in an interview with Meduza. After learning of the news, Russia launched a criminal case, where they accused social workers (who allowed the adoptions to take place) of negligence. Vaganov and Yerofeyev were concerned that the investigation would cause the children to be removed from their home and it seems like their distress was valid.

"I got a call from the district office. The investigator said he wanted to talk to me and the child. He sent us for a forensic examination," Vaganov explained to DW. "This is very unpleasant and shocking for a child. Yuri was checked as to whether he was a victim of sexual offenses."

After being told to put the children in a rehabilitation center, Vaganov took his lawyer's advice and left the country with Yuri. Soon after, Denis left Russia and Yerofeyev followed suit. The family has not revealed their current location for fear of being exposed.

one of their sons, Yuri, who admitted that he had two fathers, but he was also examined to determine if he had been sexually abused.

Photo: Getty Images


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