Moscow Bans Gay Pride for a 10th Time in a Row

It's been about a decade since LGBT people in Russia's capital of Moscow have seen a gay pride event.

Moscow town hall announced Thursday that the city's pride will once again be banned, marking the 10th year in a row Moscow Pride will not take place, according to Gay Star News.

"We have warned the organizers that the demonstration will not be authorized," news agency Ria Novosti quoted Alexey Mayorov, acting as the mayoral spokesperson, GSN writes.

The AFP reports officials also pointed out the risks LGBT activists could take if they ignore the ban.

GSN notes this is the tenth time in a row Moscow Pride organizers tried to get permission to hold the event. Officials denied organizers every year since 2006 and were never given a reason as to why they could not hold a Pride event.

Organizers reportedly wanted to hold two meetings and march, which would have ended in a demonstration outside Moscow's mayor office on May 30.

Nikola� Alexeyev, one of the organizers, told the AFP he is going to appeal the ban and that he was brought before a judge "for no obvious reason" an hour before it was announced Moscow Pride would be banned.

Alexeyev said the organizers plan to hold an LGBT-related event, however.

"We will nonetheless hold some kind of action on 30 May, even if the venue is not yet decided," he said.