Earlier this month, Ukraine’s parliament took the first step toward passing a law, similar to one recently passed in Russia, that would ban the “promotion of homosexuality” – essentially a gag rule on any LGBT rights advocacy.
The Rockford, Illinois-based World Congress of Families provided support for both laws: In May, the group’s two representatives in Russia, Alekey Komov and Pavel Parfentiev, sent a detailed memo defending the laws to the Council of Europe’s human rights commission. World Congress of Families has also joined an international coalition of groups defending Russia’s law.
In addition, it was representatives of the World Congress of Families who arranged for National Organization for Marriage president Brian Brown to testify before a committee of Russia’s parliament in support of a law banning gay couples and single people in countries that allow marriage equality to adopt Russian orphans.
So perhaps it should come as no surprise that before its upcoming world conference in Moscow, World Congress of Families representatives plan to meet with Ukrainian lawmakers to discuss “pro-family policies.” In a press release, World Congress managing director Larry Jacobs boasts of his group’s “support” for Russia’s “child protection law” (the “propaganda” ban) and adds that he’ll soon be taking his advocacy to Ukraine:
Prior to the Moscow meeting, Komov and WCF Communications Director Don Feder, along with Srdjan Nogo of the Serbian group Dveri (WCF’s newest Partner) and French pro-marriage activist Fabrice Sorlin, will be in Kiev for meetings with key Ukrainian leaders, including members of parliament.
Along with WCF spokesman Don Feder and Komov, the visitors to Ukraine will include Srdjan Nogo, the leader of the Serbian group that worked with WCF to get a recent gay pride parade cancelled in Belgrade, and Fabrice Sorlin, one of the far-right French activists (and a former Front National candidate) who accompanied NOM’s Brown to Moscow.
