15 Mar 2008

I heard that.

Sally Kern represents the Oklahoma 84th. Her phone number is (405) 557-7348. Her e-mail address is sallykern@okhouse.gov. Her husband is Dr. Steve Kern, pastor of Olivet Baptist Church. Her committee assignments (never let it be said that Congress is without irony): Social Services (Chair), Education Committee, Common Education, & Human Services Committee.

I watched this video twice. Halfway through the second viewing I started to cry. If Sally Kern’s message of hate can make me weep, imagine how it would affect a gay teen in her district.

Sally Kern should be censured for hate speech. If you don’t know how to contact your congressional representatives to ask them to do that, you can find out more here.

Posted on March 15, in Blog

22 Comments

  1. Toni wrote:

    She’s an Oklahoma state representative, as in part of the OK state government, not the US House of Representatives, so contacting anyone in the US Congress won’t do anything to get her censured. They have no power over her.

    That said she’s still a bigoted asinine idiot.

    I can’t imagine how most gay teens in conservative states make it though. My uncle recently sent me a hate-filled screed against the Day of Silence and I asked him to quit sending me such hate mail. Shit like that is how we end up with 8th graders killing classmates.

    Posted on 3.15.08 ·
  2. Pensguys wrote:

    Censoring isn’t the thing to do either….censor her and you have to censor everyone.

    Posted on 3.15.08 ·
  3. Pensguys wrote:

    Oops….sorry….I was thinking “censor” not “censured”….a big difference there…..sorry.

    Posted on 3.15.08 ·
  4. Lacey wrote:

    I heard that too. I sent an email earlier this week. I was hopping mad. I was very polite and everything else.

    You wanna know something else, she disowned her gay son. I know. WTF? Her son.

    Yeah, there’s a special spot for this crazy woman.

    Posted on 3.15.08 ·
  5. Kat wrote:

    Wow. Ignorance abounds in Oklahoma, I guess. That is just amazing. Here is the scariest part – I am sure this is what Hitler and his cronies talked about prior to the Holocaust. Freedom of speech was never, ever meant to give voice to such bigotry. We have the Marvelous Christian Right to thank for that. Oh boy.

    Posted on 3.15.08 ·
  6. Renee wrote:

    Oh, it makes me all kinds of angry and sad. I’m sure that God heard that too.

    Posted on 3.15.08 ·
  7. Cathy wrote:

    Oh. My. God.

    Just speachless.

    I don’t know what god she prays to, but if her god is the one in charge, I’ll go dance with the devil.

    Posted on 3.16.08 ·
  8. Erin wrote:

    I hate it when people who are Biblically educated pervert scripture to fit their likings.

    Well, I know scripture as well, and this is what John 13:34 says:
    “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” It doesn’t say ‘love only strait people’ or ‘love the people that are similar to you’ but what it is saying is ‘love *all* people just as I (Jesus) love you’
    Also, the Bible says this about mankind:
    “Gen 1: 27a So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him…”
    Once again it doesn’t say ‘God created the strait man in His image’ or ‘God created the white man in His image’ or ‘God created pretty people in His image’ but rather ‘God Created *all* men in His image’

    I am a Christian, but I’m really not trying to force my beliefs down your throat. What I’m trying to do is show that there is a lot more to the Bible than you see the gay protesters quoting.

    Posted on 3.16.08 ·
  9. Marianne wrote:

    Brenda, thank you for posting this information. I shall surely write to TPTB.

    And, Erin, I thank you for sharing, too, because I’ve many Christian friends who feel tarred by the same brush as those who espouse hate and it must be a tough spot.

    One of my co-workers said recently (as part of a conversation about Dog the Bounty Hunter) “Freedom of speech doesn’t imply freedom from consequences.” And I agree so completely! Say what you will, but don’t come bitchin’ to me when your show is cancelled, or your mailbox full of complaints and concerns about your ability to lead, or whatever you’ve created with your words.

    msm

    Posted on 3.17.08 ·
  10. Darcie wrote:

    Okla-what? If that is what is in Oklahoma then let’s never go there! If you ever want to come back to beautiful Portland, Oregon you will be heartened to know they legalized civil unions between same sex couples. You and your love can come back here…. and babysit for me!

    Posted on 3.18.08 ·
  11. Hissyfit wrote:

    I love how these ultra-conservative religious folks hijack the Bible, picking and choosing what they believe. They really give us Christians a bad name and I want to make it clear, not all Christians believe that way. The Bible is a wonderful book, but also says a lot of really wacky things. My father is a retired pastor and growing up we had a lot of conversations in our home about recognizing the historical context of things in the Bible. Thankfully, my parents taught us the importance of tolerance and love for everyone, to accept people with no regard for race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

    When confronted with bigotry, I usually throw out Matttew 22:34-40 where Jesus is asked “what is the greatest commandment”. Jesus says the first is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and the second is “Love your neighbor as yourself”. I think that pretty much sums it up. Doesn’t say “love your straight neighbor” or “love your Christian neighbor” or make any other distinctions.

    Of course, if you ever get into a Bible verse throwdown with one of the Fundamentalist bigots, they can match you verse for verse with something hateful. And there’s the thing – there’s so much in the Bible about love, forgiveness and not judging, but there’s a lot of mean-spirited, cruel stuff too. My theory is the Bible reveals your true self. If you read it with love, those are the passages that will stand out and the ones you will base your life on. If you are already a hate-filled bigot, you’ll find something in the Bible that speaks to you too, sadly.

    Oh yeah, there’s also a little passage in Matthew (7:1-5) that says “Do not judge or you too will be judged”.

    Posted on 3.18.08 ·
  12. NeoYankee wrote:

    Yes, I heard it too. I wish I could say she’s an (uneducated) aberration… but that would be a case of “wishful thinking”. Now that I’m in my 40’s, my knee-jerk urge to get into a debate, rational or otherwise, with such a creature is fortunately waning. As I’ve often said, I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person.

    Having said that, I do harbor a secret, evil thought: studies amply show that hate, anger and their concomitant physical manifestations drastically shorten one’s life expectancy. If I were in her shoes, I’d expect a visit from His Grimness. Yesterday.

    Posted on 3.20.08 ·
  13. Emily wrote:

    What Sally Kern has said is despicable, hateful, bigoted, and painful to hear. I grew up in the South and went to college (and came out!) in Oklahoma, and now I am no longer there in part because I didn’t feel good about the higher level of homophobia that does exist there. But I really really really want to stress that this is not the way that all people in Oklahoma think!!! There are very active human rights and gay rights groups in Tulsa and OKC that are working in their communities and their states to counteract this sort of thinking. And there are lots and lots of gay people that live in Oklahoma, too! It’s easy to write off communities based on the loud messes emanating from them….but sometimes this sort of think just gets (a lot) more media coverage than all of the wonderful and supportive people who are also living in the area. If you are or know a gay teen in Oklahoma, you could reach out to Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) or EQ-OK. I believe that Tulsa also has quite an active PFLAG group as well.

    Posted on 3.20.08 ·
  14. Angelina wrote:

    David at Knit Like a Man posted an Oklahoma teenager’s response to the video… I don’t know how to link it (sorry, I’m a blog idiot). My partner and I live in Oakland, CA partly because we plan to start a family soon and this is one of the few places that offers career opportunities to both of us as well as guarantees us rights as parents. That and we’re minutes from on of the world’s gay meccas. We moved here from east Tennessee last May. Sadly, Mrs Kern is hardly an anomaly. Sadly, “Christians” who preach messages of hatred are not anomalous. REAL Christians tend to be much rarer than the ones who pick and chose what to believe and quote, or at least harder to find. We do what we can, and we just have to continue loving who we love and living in the best way that we can, and hope that we can serve to educate some of the folks who are bigoted because of their ignorance. Where there is life, there is hope.

    Posted on 3.24.08 ·
  15. Benita wrote:

    I’ve been lurking ever since I discovered the podcasts a few weeks ago (I have them all downloaded so I can listen to them on the treadmill – and they have been a lifesaver at work, too. I have to throw in my two-cents here. I am a Christian and have been since I was nine years old. I was raised Southern Baptist, but have come to a parting of the ways with them because of the inherent bigotry within the organization. I believe God wants us to love each other and let Him do any judging there is to be, and I believe God will judge a man’s heart, not his lifestyle choice. I have a LOT of gay friends and I love them as the people they are just as I love my straight friends. A person’s sexual orientation makes no difference to me. Bless you, Brenda, for bringing these podcasts to us. You are a breath of fresh air!

    P.S. My husband and I are planning our 30th anniversary trip to England and Wales. I cannot wait!!!

    Posted on 3.24.08 ·
  16. Robin wrote:

    I live in Oklahoma City and have lived in Oklahoma all my life. I will synopsize by saying that there are many Oklahomans very embarrassed by this woman’s remarks, and these are not the first controversial things she has uttered. I am one of those Oklahomans. However, please do not be lured into thinking that Oklahoma and Oklahomans all think this way. Just like everywhere, there are intelligent people and there are less-than intelligent. After all, Texas gave us Bush.

    Brenda, keep up the good work!

    Posted on 3.31.08 ·
  17. Shannon B wrote:

    I feel sick to my stomach.

    Posted on 3.31.08 ·
  18. Shannon B wrote:

    I poked around on her church’s web page. They are organising an event, apparently in response to the backlash from her speech, which they’re calling “Rally For Sally and Christian Free Speech”. Info pasted below in case you’re interested in sending a delegation of LGBT & Friends knitters for a peaceful protest.

    http://www.olivetbaptistokc.com/news.html

    Quote:

    Rally for Sally
    Rally for Christian Free Speech

    The Rally for Sally and Christian Free Speech will be at the State Capitol in the First Floor Rotunda on Wednesday, APRIL 2, 2008. The Program will begin promptly at noon but please begin arriving at 11:15 am as there are delays at the security checkpoints when large numbers of people come to the Capitol.

    The program will only take about 30 minutes then we will break to drop off cards to Rep. Kern’s office, Speaker Chris Benge’s office and Governor Henry’s office.

    Let’s pack the Capitol with thousands of people to Stand with Sally and Stand for the Traditional Family.
    //quote

    Posted on 3.31.08 ·
  19. Casey B wrote:

    I have seen this before, and I say GOOD on you, for posting it on your blog as well, in support against it. I don’t dare mention it to my mother-in-law, because she will agree whole-heartedly with that awful woman and I would have to dis-own her as family. Lucky for me, I have an Aunt and Uncle in Oklahoma who support with all thier loving hearts – their son who is gay, (my cousin), and so much so, they have left their church and joined another, (which was non-supportive/beleiving of homosexualtiy) and she is extremely active in PFLAG, and other supportive groups.
    What is really scary about that woman, is that I think she reached people in that area of the country who totally agree with her statements, and are actually proud of her for coming out with it. Good God, half a nation who are that hateful… Extremely scary.

    Posted on 3.31.08 ·
  20. Joan wrote:

    This kind of moronic crap goes on a lot in that neck of the woods. The funny thing is, most every family has someone in it who is gay, and it’s always been known. If it weren’t so damn scary, it’d be funny. It’s like being left-handed ferchrissakes! Here in “Merlin” USA, our highest court, the Md Ct of Appeals, in a closely divided decision, recently ruled that denying a marriage license to a same-sex couple was NOT a violation of our Equal Rights Amendment. Of course most (IMHO) right(ahem)-thinking people think this was wrong wrong wrong. As an attorney who advocates for children, I wanted to argue with the legislature that failing to allow gay couples to marry creates an equal protection problem, not only for the adults, but for the children, whom the State has an obligation to protect. We have a bill in our General Assembly making same-sex marriage legal, another one allowing partners to visit in the hospital and a third one granting same-sex couples other rights just assumed here for married “straight” people. Hopefully (unlike many of the States here in the US) the legislature will overrule the courts – in a good way. Unfortunately, making this a legislative fiat also creates the worry that things could go the other way. Human rights should not be something one VOTES on!
    OY!
    Anyway, I’m glad this was made public! And good for you for publishing it. Evil should be uncovered. As they say somewhere near your neck of the woods – “Good on ya!”
    Joan in Ellicott City, “Merlin”
    a/k/a FSK

    Posted on 8.17.08 ·
  21. Joan wrote:

    PS Forgot to tell you, the arrow thingie on the YouTube widget obscured the middle of the word “gays” and I thought she was saying “Guys are Infiltrating the Cabinet.” Ah well, maybe she needs to get out of the cabinet (sorry…)

    Posted on 8.17.08 ·

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