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Kayla Moore (née Kisor; born April 26, 1961)[1] is an American political activist. She is the president of the Foundation for Moral Law, a socially conservative legal advocacy group. She is the wife of Roy Moore and campaigned for him in the 2017 Senate special election in Alabama.

Early life and marriages

Kayla Danette Kisor was born on April 26, 1961, in Etowah County, Alabama, to Mack A. Kisor and Dell McDonald Kisor.[1] She attended Southside High School with Beverly Young[2][3] in Gadsden.[4] As a teenager, she competed in beauty pageants, including Miss Alabama US Teen, Miss Alabama USA and Miss Alabama World. She placed second runner up in the Miss Alabama US Teen contest.[5]

According to her website, Moore attended Jacksonville State University and the University of Alabama.[6]

Moore married John Charles Heald on June 5, 1982. Together they had a daughter, Heather, who is a board member for the Foundation for Moral Law.[7][8] Moore filed for divorce on December 28, 1984, citing "cruel treatment during the marriage", and it was granted April 19, 1985. On January 9, 1989, Moore obtained full custody of her daughter Heather, who Roy eventually adopted.[7]

In 1984, Kayla met Roy Moore.[6] Kayla told Breitbart she met Roy at a Bible study, while Roy stated in his memoir the two met at a church Christmas party.[9] Roy's memoir noted he had first seen Kayla "many" years earlier at a dance recital held at Gadsden State Junior College. He also remembered her first and last names started with "K", but the specific number of years was not given in the memoir.[10] Al.com columnist Kyle Whitmire publicized a July 2017 interview with Roy.[11] In the interview, Roy relates the story of how he had first seen her at the dance recital, then stated "It was, oh gosh, eight years later, or something, I met her",[12] referring to their meeting at the 1984 church party. In his memoir, Roy noted he was so "anxious to meet [Kayla]" in 1984, he approached her with the line "Haven't we met somewhere before?", implying he had first noticed her when she was fifteen or sixteen years old.[13]

The two married in December 1985 and eventually had sons Caleb, Micah and Ory.[5][14]

In 1999, Moore was hit by a car in the Colonial Mall-Gadsden parking lot. After filing an auto accident suit, she was awarded more than $270,000.[15]

Politics

In 2015 Moore ran for secretary of the Alabama Republican Party to replace Sallie Bryant, who was retiring after 14 years in the position. Bryant endorsed Lynn Robinson for the position, to whom Moore ended up losing.[16]

In February 2016, Moore wrote an op-ed for The Birmingham News endorsing Senator Ted Cruz for the US presidency. Moore called Cruz a "true defender of the Constitution" and a "Constitutionalist and a faithful defender of life, marriage, and small government."[17] Cruz stated he was honored to have Moore's support in the race.[18]

When Moore's husband Roy was running in the 2017 Senate special election in Alabama, multiple women publicly stated that Roy had sexually harassed or assaulted them. Moore led a vehement defense of her husband, speaking at a rally outside the Alabama State Capitol in November and posting many articles and comments on her Facebook page to discredit her husband's accusers.[6][19] At that rally, Moore criticized her husband's opponent, Doug Jones, by asking, "Who was an Obama delegate? Who is for full-term abortion? Who is for more gun restrictions? Who is for transgender bathrooms? Who is for transgender in the military?"[20] Moore also defended her husband against charges of bigotry by stating "One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends that are Jewish and rabbis, and we also fellowship with them."[21]

Foundation for Moral Law

The Foundation for Moral Law was created in 2003 by Roy, with Kayla Moore taking over for Roy as president in January 2013.[8] Over three years as the foundation's president, Moore earned $195,000.[10] As president of the foundation, Slate's Molly Olmstead called Moore "somewhat [of a] public figure in Alabama because of her role."[22]

In November 2015, Moore shared a video calling then-president Barack Obama a Muslim. The video, titled "Obama the Muslim, His Own Words", was originally shared by Britain First, a far-right British nationalist organization. The video was shared on the Foundation's page and her personal Facebook page.[23][24]

In April 2017, Moore issued a statement from the Foundation that publicly opposed the appointment of a commandant for the U.S. Air Force Academy because she is a lesbian. Moore criticized Col. Kristin Goodwin in a letter to Jim Mattis, stating, "I oppose this nomination because Col. Goodwin does not set a proper moral example for youth. The person responsible for the education of cadets at the academy is a role model and an exemplar of proper deportment and conduct."[25]

In October 2017, Moore sent a letter to Alabama's Trussville City Schools, where she stated the Freedom from Religion Foundation and others are trying to "drive prayer out of school athletic events." She stated "they often fail to follow through with legal action if local officials refuse to cave in to their demands", and that the Trussville City Schools should ignore the FFRF altogether.[26]

Personal life

Moore identifies as a Southern Baptist. She and her husband attend Gallant First Baptist Church in Alabama.[27]

As of 2017, Moore has five grandchildren.[28]

References

  1. ^ a b Henry, Jack (November 24, 2017). "Moore Stuff That Doesn't Add Up…". Medium. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  2. ^ Becker, Carlin (November 15, 2017). "Roy Moore's accuser, wife pictured in yearbook under same high school class, report says". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In that same yearbook is a picture of her fellow sophomore Kayla Kisor {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. ^ Hensley, Nicole (November 15, 2017). "Roy Moore's wife was in the same high school class as his fifth sexual misconduct accuser". New York Daily News. Kayla Moore was in the same Southside High School class as Beverly Nelson, the fifth woman to accuse her husband of sexual misconduct.
  4. ^ Gutierrez, Lisa (November 17, 2017). "Nine things to know about Kayla Moore, wife of embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore". Kansas City. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  5. ^ a b McBride, Jessica (September 26, 2017). "Kayla Moore, Roy's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Bidgood, Jess; Dickerson, Caitlin (November 17, 2017). "As Woman After Woman Accuses Roy Moore of Misconduct, One Leads His Defense". New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Morrongiello, Gabby; Wegmann, Philip; Jashinsky, Emily (December 5, 2017). "Court records suggest Roy Moore dated wife while she was still married". Washington Examiner. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Koplowitz, Howard (November 6, 2017). "Roy Moore's daughter was named board member of his foundation in 2015, IRS record shows". AL.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  9. ^ Diaz, Daniella (November 16, 2017). "Who is Kayla Moore, Roy Moore's wife and principal defender?". CNN. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Yurkanin, Amy (November 14, 2017). "When did Roy Moore meet his wife?". AL.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  11. ^ Whitmire, Kyle (November 20, 2017). "Don't believe Roy Moore's accusers? Then listen to Moore". Al.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  12. ^ Paul Patterson Interviews Judge Roy Moore on YouTube Relevant video section starts at approximately 9:35.
  13. ^ Diaz, Daniella (November 21, 2017). "Roy Moore says he first noticed his wife when she was 15 or 16 years old". CNN. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  14. ^ Paulson, Bob (May 9, 2016). "Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore Stands Strong for God". Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  15. ^ "Roy Moore & Wife Both Headed to Court". WSFA. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  16. ^ Lathan, Terry (February 23, 2015). "Terry Lathan of Mobile County elected chairwoman of Alabama Republican Party". ALcom. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  17. ^ Moore, Kayla (February 29, 2016). "Kayla Moore, wife of Chief Justice Roy Moore: 'I trust Ted Cruz to pick the next Supreme Court Justice". The Birmingham News. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  18. ^ Edgemon, Erin (February 27, 2016). "Wife of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore endorses Ted Cruz for president". AL.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  19. ^ Johnson, Jenna; Silverman, Ellie; Bever, Lindasy (November 15, 2017). "Kayla Moore emerges as her husband's fiercest and most vocal defender". Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  20. ^ Sanders, Linley (November 22, 2017). "WHAT IS A FULL-TERM ABORTION? MOORE DEFENDERS INVENT A FAKE MEDICAL TERM TO ATTACK DOUG JONES". Newsweek. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  21. ^ Blinder, Alan (December 12, 2017). "Roy Moore's Wife Says Some of the Couple's Friends Are Black or Jewish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  22. ^ Olmstead, Molly (November 14, 2017). "Roy Moore's Wife Has Been Spreading Fake News and Misleading Endorsements Online". Slate. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  23. ^ Tool (November 11, 2017). "Roy at 38 decided to marry a 24 year old". Daily Kos. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  24. ^ Kaczynski, Andrew; Massie, Chris (September 20, 2017). "Roy Moore's foundation shared a video in 2015 calling Obama a Muslim". CNN. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  25. ^ Garrison, Greg (April 3, 2017). "Roy Moore's wife issues statement opposing lesbian Air Force Academy commandant". AL.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  26. ^ Garrison, Greg (October 27, 2017). "Kayla Moore suggests schools ignore complaints about prayer". AL.com. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  27. ^ Garrison, Greg (September 23, 2017). "Where do Roy Moore, Luther Strange attend church?". AL.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  28. ^ McBride, Jessica (November 12, 2017). "Roy Moore's Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayla_Moore