GOP Senate Candidate Shares Article Endorsing Russia’s Brutal Anti-Gay Propaganda Laws

One of America’s most homophobic politicians is in hot water yet again following reports that his Facebook page shared an article praising Russia’s anti-gay propaganda laws.

Roy Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court justice who attempted to block same-sex marriage in his state, shared the offending link in 2015. Authored by BarbWire’s Julio Severo, the piece refers to Vladimir Putin’s oppressive regime as championing “a strong stance in defense of traditional family values.”

“It bans homosexual groups and individuals from giving children information about homosexuality,” Severo writes. “Violators face hefty fines and arrest.”

Unanimously passed by the Russian Duma in 2013, the law was effectively a ban on LGBTQ culture and advocacy. Pride parades have been blocked across the country, and any gathering of queer people faces targeting and harassment by police. An HIV/AIDS advocate was prosecuted under the propaganda law earlier this year just for posting LGBTQ-affirming articles on Facebook.

The legislation has also led to a surge in violence against LGBTQ individuals in the conservative nation.

Gay teenagers were rounded up, beaten, and tortured by a neo-Nazi group in 2013, who filmed the assaults. The victims were covered in paint, doused with urine, and forced to drink toilet water. At least one boy died as a result of injuries sustained during his kidnapping.

That Moore wouldn’t hesitate to share an article which supports anti-LGBTQ brutality isn’t a surprise given his record.

The 70-year-old told C-SPAN2’s After Words in a 2005 interview that homosexuality should be illegal. Moore has called same-sex relations “abominable, detestable, unmentionable, and too disgusting and well known to require other definition or further details or description.” He also said he wasn’t sure if homosexuality should be a death penalty offense in a 2015 radio interview with “Kill the Gays” pastor Kevin Swanson.

Moore, who also shared a video questioning whether President Barack Obama is a Muslim, recently won the GOP nomination to fill Jeff Sessions’ Senate seat in Alabama. He will face off against Democrat Doug Jones in the general election.

But at least one person is happy about Moore’s endorsement of Russian homophobia: the author of the BarbWire piece himself.

Responding to the CNN report which broke the story, Severo writes that it’s a “privilege” to have his article shared by the former jurist, who was removed from his position after being found guilty of numerous ethics violations. Calling the cable station the “Communist News Network,” the author refers to CNN as “one of most rabid left-wing, anti-conservative channels in the United States.”

Moore has yet to speak publicly about the incident.