Okla.'s Kern Stands By Anti-Gay Remarks

Okla. state Rep. Sally Kern, whose covertly recorded comments about GLBT people made national headlines several weeks ago, said Mar. 27 that had she known she was being taped, it would not have made any difference in the content of her remarks.

In a Mar. 28 story The Oklahoman reported that Kern, whose comparisons to gays and lesbians to cancer were made as part of a speech to a gathering of Republicans in Oklahoma City, told a group of college students, "If I knew it was being recorded, I'd still say the same thing."

Kern had been invited to speak to the College Republicans club at the University of Central Oklahoma prior to her comments being posted online and disseminated by the media.

The Oklahoman reported that about 40 attendees heard her address to the College Republicans, with a number of them vocal about their disagreement with Kern's now-infamous remarks.

The article quoted the state representative as saying, "I will not back down from what I believe the Bible teaches."

The Oklahoman article said that Kerns spoke about the central role of the Christian faith in America's government.

At one point in the recorded speech from earlier in the month, Kern had claimed that societies that had accepted homosexuality "lasted [no] more than a few decades," and declared that America's tolerance of homosexuals constituted a "death knell of our country."

Kern also claimed that gays and lesbians were "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism of Islam," and said that "gays are infiltrating city councils.... They are winning elections."

"[Homosexuality] has deadly consequences for those people involved in it," declared Kern, who cited dubious "studies" purporting to show that being gay leads to shorter life spans.

When speaking to the College Republicans, Kern explained that her anti-Islamic comments had not been directed against all of Islam, but rather those who wish to see Sharia law integrated into American law.

Said Kern of Sharia law and American law, "It's like oil and water," reported The Oklahoman.

Added Kern, "They won't mix."

In her Oklahoma City address, Kern had claimed not to be "bashing" anyone, and she reiterated to the College Republicans that her remarks were not condemnatory of gay persons, but rather of what she called "homosexual millionaires" promoting what she had referred to in the earlier address as the "gay agenda."

Kern also reaffirmed her warnings about the "negative consequences" associated with "the homosexual lifestyle," the Oklahoman reported.