Dmitry, an activist who declined to give his last name, told The Moscow Times he joined the parade to show support for the LGBT community. "I'm heterosexual but being here is a matter of solidarity for me."
"Heterosexuality is a sin," laughs Alexander Khmelev behind him. As an openly gay priest, Aleksander was expelled by the Orthodox Church and joined the Celtic German Church where being gay is allowed.
"From my religious point of view I think that the church and the state should not interfere with people's personal lives."
Only in 2014 did the St. Petersburg authorities gave consent for the event, restricting it to newly instituted "free speech zones" including the Field of Mars, where citizens can gather after informing city authorities.
Prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny has also made the repealing of the anti-gay propaganda law part of his presidential election campaign.
As participants dispersed after the march, a group of nine men attacked activists and journalists with pepper spray. Around ten people were reportedly injured, including Radio Liberty reporter Ksenia Klochkova and photojournalist David Frenkel.
OVD-Info said one participant, Anna Grabetskaya, was detained for disobeying police orders while holding a banner that read "I love my wife."