After all the calls and emails, take a look at this reaction from unrepentant homophobe Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (sallykern@okhouse.gov). (Via Oklahomans for Equality’s Laura Belmonte):
Studies show, no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted for more than, you know, a few decades. . .
…They are going after our young children, as young as two years of age, to try to teach them that the homosexual lifestyle is an acceptable lifestyle.
One of my colleagues said We don’t have a gay problem in our community…well you know what, that is so dumb. If you have cancer in your little toe, do you just say that I’m going to forget about it since the rest of you is fine? It spreads! This stuff is deadly and it is spreading. It will destroy our young people and it will destroy this nation.
Oklahoma House of RepresentativesIt continues below the fold.
Media Division
March 10, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Sally Kern
Capitol: (405) 557-7348Kern Responds to Activist Criticisms
OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) issued the following statement today in response to the criticisms of homosexual activists who have objected to a recent speech she gave on their efforts to promote their agenda at both the federal and state level.
“To put this simply, as a Christian I believe homosexuality is not moral. Obviously, you have the right as an American to choose that lifestyle, but I also have the right to express my views and my fellow Oklahomans have the right to debate these issues.
“In recent years homosexual activists have begun to aggressively promote their agenda through the political process, often providing substantial financing to candidates who agree with their views, including many running for state legislative races. National publications such as Time, The Atlantic and USA Today have noted that trend. That is their right, just as it is my right to voice opposition to their agenda, which I have been asked to do at several public forums in recent months. That’s what democracy is all about. It appears some homosexual activists believe only one group is allowed a voice in this debate. I disagree.
UPDATE: I received this letter from reader Rev. Russell Mark, who is actively involved with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (www.wabaptists.org). He’s not a spokesperson for AWAB, but he said “I can say many of us have had our belly full of this theo-fascism. It is, in itself, a form of terrorism. We have to strike back in a language they might possibly understand.” This is the letter that he sent to Rep. Kern:“A vigorous debate on an issue is not ‘hate speech’ – it’s free speech. I have made clear my opposition to the agenda of homosexual activists, but I have never endorsed or supported any hateful action targeting individuals on the other side of this debate and never will. The fact that many gay rights activists claim anyone opposing their agenda is engaging in ‘hate speech’ says more about them than me.
“Most Oklahomans are socially conservative and believe marriage is a sacred institution, the union of one man and one woman, and that the traditional family is worth protecting and preserving. When I campaigned for office, I promised my constituents to stand up for those values, and I do not apologize for keeping my word.”
State Representative Kern:Earlier posts on Kern here. The original unhinged video is here.As a concerned citizen; as a Baptist minister and as a Christian, I applaud your intent to protect our children, our communities and our country. Afterall, you swore an oath to uphold the law and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma and to serve your constituents. I am concerned, however, that in your zeal you have fallen into the trap of so many well-meaning extremists and that is to dehumanize your preceived enemies. To do so, no doubt, is to make them easier to attack, afterall, no one really quibbles at squashing bugs. However, you may be familiar with the recent murders of a 15 year old boy in Oxnard, CA and the murder of another teenager in Fort Lauderdale, FL. These young men, among the many people that are attacked each month in this country, had the audacity to present themselves publicly as being gay. For their sin at such a very young age some well intentioned, god-fearing individual, took it into their hands to destroy the enemy. The CA boy was killed by his peer; a teenage young man that was taught by his elders at home and at church that gays are the scourge of society. Yes, he snuffed out a fag for Jesus. Just like you teach.
Though your recent public words did not call for murdering gays, there may be those that take your authority to heart and kill the enemy. You said to your constituents that you had been a teacher, but a teacher is first a student, yet your words were filled with idiocy and lies. So are you are a poor student that can’t research and find truth for yourself? Do you only repeat what your elders have taught you? I seriously doubt if you’ve ever had the courage to meet with a gay group of anykind and talked about your concerns, or more, actually learn first hand about those you think are your enemy. Instead you stand at a distance and throw rocks and incite others to throw rocks, or worse. _For that, you are a coward and a bully and need to fully understand that the blood of every young gay man and woman that is physically or psychologically injured or dies in this country is on your head_. These are the real stakes, Represtentative Kern, and yes, words do matter.
As a Christian I have to ask what kind of god do you worship that you would seek the murder of children? Does your Jesus call you to spread lies, repeat gossip and inuindo about people you don’t even know? Does your Jesus teach you to spread hate and to live in fear and teach others to live in fear? So very odd isn’t it that your Jesus and my Jesus are so very different. You see, my Jesus teaches the power of love; to confront my enemies face to face; to embrace them and seek to understand them; to find commonality. Out of humilty, seek understanding and out of love, to not be afraid. Even in my anger at what you have said, I would seek to understand how you, my sister-in-Christ would say such ignorant, offensive and incitful things. How do you take a few obscure passages and totally ignore all that Christ teaches and seek to bludgeon an entire people? How do you do this and then go to church and worship the Christ who gave everything to reconcile the world? What about bigotry and fear-mongering is Christ-like? How dare you treat the cross with such distain! And how dare you misuse the authority of your office. Be ashamed Representative Kern. Be very ashamed. More than your constituents are watching; God is watching.
Lastly I would say that it is not too late to learn from your grievious error and to make amends. Our faith teaches us a lot about forgiveness; how to seek it and how to find it. Afterall, the Gospel is about reconciliation with God, ourselves and with one another. This choice is yours.
Rev. Russell Mark
32 Responses to “Oklahoma’s Sally Kern is defiant as ever”
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If you hold that the sex of the people involved in a sexual encounter is a moral issue, you have shitty morals. If those morals are derived from your religion, you have a shitty religion.
you have the right as an American to choose that lifestyle, but I also have the right to express my views and my fellow Oklahomans have the right to debate these issues.
Oh no, oh fuck no. If you admit that people have the right to make their own sexual choices, that’s your position, full stop, end of discussion. If you think it’s an “issue” that can be “debated”, then you think that other people’s sex lives are available for public scrutiny, full stop, end of discussion.
In other words, one of those clauses up there is a bald-faced lie.
A teacher for Dagon’s sake. You think maybe she was the one who loved to “out” folks? Could she also be the teacher most hated?
She hid her Christianist views in the Bible Belt and that should tell you just how crazy she truly is.
is it terrible to say i hope she gets cancer in her toe?
I think I might be a little bit in love with Rev. Mark.
For years now, if you didn’t know anything about Christianity, you could easily get the impression–as Rep. Kern so clearly has–that it was wholly and entirely based on obsessing over everyone else’s sex life.
Thank you, Rev. Mark, for remembering that it was supposed to be about something else.
Yikes.
And while I’m in favor of legislators who listen to their constituents, it looks like Kern just blindly is using the bigotry (or supposed bigotry, who knows) of the voters to back up that of her own.
What Sally Kern needs is for one of her own children to be gay; nothing else will get through her bigoted armor; even’t that might not!
I really have to pity the woman; she is so-o-o ignorant.
Rev. Mark: YOU ROCK. I wish there were more Christian, especially BAPTIST, ministers like you.
A vigorous debate on an issue is not ‘hate speech’ – it’s free speech. I have made clear my opposition to the agenda of homosexual activists, but I have never endorsed or supported any hateful action targeting individuals on the other side of this debate and never will. The fact that many gay rights activists claim anyone opposing their agenda is engaging in ‘hate speech’ says more about them than me.
Um, when you say a group of people are more of a threat than TERRORISTS and compare homosexuality to toe cancer, sorry, but you’ve crossed the line from debate to hate speech. Nearly everything she said was hateful–and it’s too bad she can’t admit her own ignorance and offer an apology. She was out of line, and she should know it.
What Sally Kern needs is for one of her own children to be gay; nothing else will get through her bigoted armor; even’t that might not!
You actually answered your own wish, Elizabeth, I grew up in the bible belt and there were several older children of people in the community that we didn’t talk about because they’d been disowned for being gay. Never underestimate hatred. Some people love their children enough to get over it and accept them, some people love their religion more.
Realityfighter,
Do you seriously believe that tolerating immoral behavior is an incoherent attitude? That one cannot simultaneously disagree with anti-sodomy laws and disapprove of sodomy?
I’d love to hear why you think the basic premise of Enlightenment political thought is not only incorrect but incoherent, impossible, and dishonest.
“In recent years homosexual black activists have begun to aggressively promote their agenda through the political process, often providing substantial financing to candidates who agree with their views, including many running for state legislative races. National publications such as Time, The Atlantic and USA Today have noted that trend. That is their right, just as it is my right to voice opposition to their agenda, which I have been asked to do at several public forums in recent months. That’s what democracy is all about. It appears some homosexual black activists believe only one group is allowed a voice in this debate. I disagree.”
How would that differ from a KKK member talking about the NAACP? Of *course* bigots have a voice in the national debate– but everyone who isn’t a bigot has a moral duty to call bigotry what it is.
She admits people have a legal right to do things she considers immoral, and stands up for her right to criticize it. What she won’t admit is that the critics of HER consider HER behavior to be immoral and are exercising the same right of criticism.
Ah, so Oklahoma clearly has no gay citizens, just like Iran… good to know.
As I suspected, Ms. Kern would take the criticism not as legit, but rather ignore it in her retort and use it as a sign that she is on the righteous path. Unfortunately for her she does not recognize at this time that it is the self-righteous path.
Thank you, Rev. Mark, for taking the time to remind Ms. Kern and others that the Christian religion is not a monolithic body of work. That opinions vary and debate continues within it’s ranks. That when self-righteous warriors for God attempt to impose an agenda on the community in the name of their religion they have rooted their position in the lie that their religion is monolithic (to say nothing of the fact that it automatically trumps other faiths), exposing their hypocrisy from the beginning.
Studies show, no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted for more than, you know, a few decades. . .
Of course a society that has “totally” embraced homosexuality will not last more than a few decades… that’s just simple biological fact. I would, however, really like to see what, exact, society these “studies” discovered that had “totally” embraced homosexuality.
I can’t think of a one, and I’m fairly well read in regards to history. I can, however, think of a few Christian sects that banned procreation. They only lasted a few decades though.
What Sally Kern needs is for one of her own children to be gay.
I doubt even that would make a difference. It sure didn’t for Alan Keyes.
You mean like Athens, where men who hung around with women for anything but the occasional procreative sex were considered sissies, also supposedly the birthplace of our modern democratic ideals? Or maybe Sparta, ditto, the birthplace of the aristocratic warrior ethos that wingnuts get so aroused by?
Banquo, I think that RealityFighter’s point is that personal decisions are NOT properly fodder for public debate. I may choose to wear plaid shirts and you may not like it but there should not be a public debate on the wearing of plaid shirts. I could even wear loudly colored plaid shirts and it is STILL not something that should or needs to be debated. Not debating things like this is what my mother called “polite behavior”. I follow her advice and choose not to debate religion with the faithful unless they invite my comments.
At the beginning of the video she says, “not all lifestyles are equal, just like all religions are not equal.” I think people are not realizing just what a dangerous thing she is saying here. This isn’t just an issue of hate speech or an individual’s free speech rights. This woman is a representative in our government who has stated, in effect, that not all citizens are equal. She should be removed from office.
@Dacman:
Maybe we mean something different by “public debate.” I, at least, see a place for debates about “Is X moral?” even when both parties to the debate agree that it should be legal.
@cindiloohoo:
Do you believe that misogyny and feminism are equal? If not, I don’t see how you aren’t constructing the same kind of hierarchy. If so, how do you manage to use the word “should”?
The important political equality here is the equality of natural rights; as long as people disagree on religion, I don’t think it’s feasible to ask them to believe that what they suppose to be incorrect beliefs are equal to correct ones. The problem is when they start saying that certain lifestyles alienate your natural rights.
While the moral judgments may look similar, there’s a big political difference between saying homosexuality is immoral and saying that gays are lucky not to be stoned in the streets. There’s a big difference between saying that immodest clothing is shameful and saying that “those sluts were asking for it.”
No, no, she was NOT engaging in hate speech, nosiree Bob. When she equated homosexuals to terrorists and cancer, she meant that in the NICEST way possible.
Hi, I popped over from a Google search and I wanted to comment on that very powerful letter from the good Reverend. It is religious leaders like him that give this (lesbian/terrorist) hope.
Please post this on your website, you have my permission.
Please sign the petition to get Sally Kern out of Office. Forward to all your friends, post on your blogs!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/request-to-terminate-sally-kerns-position-house-of-representatives
Benquo - March 11, 2008 at 1:20 am
Realityfighter,
Do you seriously believe that tolerating immoral behavior is an incoherent attitude? That one cannot simultaneously disagree with anti-sodomy laws and disapprove of sodomy?
I’d love to hear why you think the basic premise of Enlightenment political thought is not only incorrect but incoherent, impossible, and dishonest.
March 11, 2008 at 1:20 am
Benquo,
I think that religiously insane idiots like Sally Kerns are engaging in immoral, unethical, and possibly criminal (if done by, say, someone with political power) behavior. Should I tolerate this behavior? If I do, is that an incoherent attitude? Should one simultaneously disagree with religiously insane pagan occult superstitionists like Sally Kerns and allow others to be exposed to her hateful illogical fairy tales as if they were the laws of the land?
I’d love to hear why you think that the belief that opposition to your religion’s decisions about what is moral and what is not should be given the sanction or force of law is not only incorrect but incoherent, impossible, and dishonest, and in direct opposition to the First Amendment.
All,
What’s next?
Non-whites?
Jewish poeple?
Muslims?
Overweight poeple?
The bakery around the corner?
Has this “lady” ever heard of separation between Church and State???
She is supposed to keep her religious “beliefs’, to which she is entitled, out of her politics.
One only need to turn to Irak or Afghanistan or Pakistan to see where medling of the two leads too…but then what does she know…..?
What if her child(ren) turn out to be gay….that would be called the ultimate punishment for her ignorance and intolerance.
Enough said.
Tom,
Should one simultaneously disagree with religiously insane pagan occult superstitionists like Sally Kerns and allow others to be exposed to her hateful illogical fairy tales as if they were the laws of the land?
Yes. That’s what it means to be in favor of religious toleration. The other options for this country are civil war and theocracy.
I’d love to hear why you think that the belief that opposition to your religion’s decisions about what is moral and what is not should be given the sanction or force of law is not only incorrect but incoherent, impossible, and dishonest, and in direct opposition to the First Amendment.
I don’t think that.
I have no idea what your point is.
Oops. I think I miscounted the negatives in that last long sentence I quoted, and thought it meant the opposite of what it means, but I’m still not sure. Could you clarify?
Benquo,
I didn’t say she was incoherent; I said she was lying. If she were telling the truth, she would believe that people had the right to “destroy our young people and…destroy this nation.”
She’s only saying, “Obviously, you have the right as an American to choose that lifestyle” to pretend that she isn’t anti-gay. To be honest, she should add, “and that’s a terrible, horrible injustice that I intend to change.”
Realityfighter, you wrote:
If you admit that people have the right to make their own sexual choices, that’s your position, full stop, end of discussion. If you think it’s an “issue” that can be “debated”, then you think that other people’s sex lives are available for public scrutiny, full stop, end of discussion.
In other words, one of those clauses up there is a bald-faced lie.
I took your argument to be that those two clauses contradicted one another, and that consequently one must be a lie. Is that not what you meant?
Below you will find the email address of all Oklahoma House of Representatives. It is our right to tell them how we feel about the disgust of Rep Sally Kerns hate remarks and that no punishment or hearing will be held now. Please forward and I encourage all Gay Oklahomans,their friends, and their loved ones to speak their mind. Below is the email I sent to everyone of them.
Representative Kern,
People like you are the reason that there is a higher rate of suicide among gay and lesbian people.
People like you are the reason children need gay straight alliances at school in the first place.
People like you are giving the Christian faith a very bad reputation.
People like you are the reason many Gay Americans are scared to live their life.
People like you are the reason why Gay Americans can be murdered and it not be considered a hate crime.
Do you honestly believe that people “choose” to be gay, Sally? Are you truly that ignorant?
Why would anybody choose to be a second class citizen, and to be the victims of bigots such as yourself?
Gay people are WORSE than AlQueada???? Gay Americans just want the same equal rights and protection as every
other law abiding, tax-paying American. I have yet to read a story about a gay person strapping on a suicide belt,
so that he can blow up a bunch of straight people. To my knowledge, no gay person has ever beat up a
straight person, tied him to a fence post, and left him to die in the cold. I haven’t heard of a gay person trying
to blow up a straight bar…
If you really believe people “choose” to be gay, you must also admit that you “chose” to be straight.
Is that how it worked for you, Sally? Do you remember the day you chose to
be straight? I’m sure that would make for interesting conversation on the House floor.
I am what God made me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I hope you will reconsider issuing an apology for the ridiculous comments you made and I hope your
fellow represenatives will ask you to do the same.
We will say a prayer for you, and hope that one day you can try to treat all Americans with respect and dignity.
The last word in our Pledge of Allegiance is “All”, not “Heterosexuals”.
purcywalker@okhouse.gov; weldon.watson@okhouse.gov; paulwesselhoft@okhouse.gov; susanwinchester@okhouse.gov; treborworthen@okhouse.gov; todd.thomsen@okhouse.gov; suetibbs@okhouse.gov; johntrebilcock@okhouse.gov; daleturner@okhouse.gov; bensherrer@okhouse.gov; jerryshoemake@okhouse.gov; jabarshumate@okhouse.gov; glensmithson@okhouse.gov; krissteele@okhouse.gov; paulroan@okhouse.gov; waderousselot@okhouse.gov; earl.sears@okhouse.gov; mikeshelton@okhouse.gov; richardmorrissette@okhouse.gov; jason.murphey@okhouse.gov; billnations@okhouse.gov; ronpeters@okhouse.gov; pampeterson@okhouse.gov; ronpeterson@okhouse.gov; anastasia.pittman@okhouse.gov; eric.proctor@okhouse.gov; rcpruett@okhouse.gov; brian.renegar@okhouse.gov; mikereynolds@okhouse.gov; dennisadkins@okhouse.gov; johnauffet@okhouse.gov; garybanz@okhouse.gov; scott.bighorse@okhouse.gov; davidbraddock@okhouse.gov; neilbrannon@okhouse.gov; mikebrown@okhouse.gov; ed.cannaday@okhouse.gov; johncarey@okhouse.gov; lancecargill@okhouse.gov; wallace.collins@okhouse.gov; jamescovey@okhouse.gov; dougcox@okhouse.gov; david.dank@okhouse.gov; david.derby@okhouse.gov; daledewitt@okhouse.gov; joedorman@okhouse.gov; rexduncan@okhouse.gov; jerryellis@okhouse.gov; john.enns@okhouse.gov; george.faught@okhouse.gov; darrellgilbert@okhouse.gov; larryglenn@okhouse.gov; rebeccahamilton@okhouse.gov; terryharrison@okhouse.gov; weshilliard@okhouse.gov; chuck.hoskin@okhouse.gov; terryhyman@okhouse.gov; scott.inman@okhouse.gov; shanejett@okhouse.gov; dennis.johnson@okhouse.gov; tadjones@okhouse.gov; charlie.joyner@okhouse.gov; kiesel@okhouse.gov; charles.key@okhouse.gov; sallykern@okhouse.gov; luckylamons@okhouse.gov; guyliebmann@okhouse.gov; allindley@okhouse.gov; ken.luttrell@okhouse.gov; al.mcaffrey@okhouse.gov; mccarter@okhouse.gov; mark.mccullough@okhouse.gov; jeanniemcdaniel@okhouse.gov; randy.mcdaniel@okhouse.gov; ryanmcmullen@okhouse.gov; jerrymcpeak@okhouse.gov; kennmiller@okhouse.gov; dannymorgan@okhouse.gov; chrisbenge@okhouse.gov; gusblackwell@okhouse.gov; gregpiatt@okhouse.gov; leedenney@okhouse.gov; terryingmire@okhouse.gov; danielsullivan@okhouse.gov; randyterrill@okhouse.gov; jwhickman@okhouse.gov; johnwright@okhouse.gov; lisajbilly@okhouse.gov; robjohnson@okhouse.gov; mikejackson@okhouse.gov; donarmes@okhouse.gov; mikethompson@okhouse.gov; mariancooksey@okhouse.gov; fred.jordan@okhouse.gov; scott.martin@okhouse.gov; stevemartin@okhouse.gov; skye.mcniel@okhouse.gov; philrichardson@okhouse.gov; colby.schwartz@okhouse.gov; tw.shannon@okhouse.gov; anncoody@okhouse.gov;
I find it amazing that within Sally’s speech she blasted the so-called “Gay Agenda”, but as yet, no one has called her to task on HER radical agenda. To help clarify things, I give you Sally Kern’s Agenda (satire)
7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Hate gays
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. - break (read another chapter of Mein Kampf)
10:45 a. m. - 12:30 p.m. - Hate Muslims
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Visit Mr Serge’s House of Hair. (thank God he knows his place, and isn’t one of those “uppity dandy’s”)
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Generalized hate
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Break (browse through “Gay Conspiracy Theory Monthly”)
2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Introduce bill to rename Oklahoma “Jesusland”
3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. - Find some children. Poison minds.
3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Hate anyone who isn’t exactly like ME
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Book “Sally Kerns’ Hate-o-Rama” speaking tour.
5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. - Send love note to Rev. Fred Phelps (he’s just dreamy)
5:15 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. - Hate Muslims and Gays evening gathering.
11:00 p.m. -11:15 p.m. - Thank MY Jesus (not that pansy “Love everybody” Jesus, but the “hate everybody who isn’t like ME” Jesus) for another productive and fulfilling day.
I’m tired of all these hypo- Christians and their agenda to infiltrate Law and shove their version of the Bible down everyone’s throat!
If they want to believe that gay people are going to burn in hell , that’s their prerogative.
Just keep it and all you or personal religious beliefs out of my law.
If these zealots want religion in long than they are not real Americans they do not love democracy.
What they want is a theocracy, Sally and her friends need to move to the middle east and they can have all the theocracy they want.
Just to entice them someone should let them know that in the middle east recently to teenage boys were put to death for loving each other.