In many ways Alba Ahmetaj and Edlira Mara lead an ordinary life. They brush their twin daughters' hair before school and play fight with them in their flat on weekend mornings. They have matching shoulder tattoos that mark their 14 years together.
But in their fight to be treated like other families, the lesbian couple did something extraordinary. At dusk on Sunday, May 19, friends cheered as they stood out on the rooftop of the mayor's office in central Tirana, kissed, exchanged rings and got married. Their marriage is not acknowledged by the state - Albanian law does not recognise same-sex civil unions.
It has prompted outrage from the political right and the powerful religious community. But for Alba and Edlira, it was a real expression of love, a cry for equality and, as far as they know, the first wedding of its kind in the Muslim-majority Balkan country. "There are two people in love .
.. and now they have finalised it with this beautiful ceremony," Edlira said after the wedding.
"Society will never be ready ...
What does this mean? That I cannot live?" While much of western Europe has made strides towards marriage equality, governments in much of the centre and east oppose change. In Albania, religion was prohibited for half a century under communism. Today, the country is known for its tolerance among Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
These faiths are united in their opposition to same-sex marriage. When plans for the couple's wedding became public, social me.
