Reprinted with permission from JMBzine.com
I just got this via email from Rena (of Peacearena) and thought I would pass it on ...
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Media Division
March 10, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Sally Kern
Capitol: (405) 557-7348
Kern 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.
"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."
30
I am struck by Rep. Kern's use of the phrase "homosexual activists," which she used FOUR times in her brief press release. She seems to be forgetting that many of us (including myself) who are speaking out against her hate speech are not homosexuals.
In fact, it seems like she is yet again using stereotypes to drive home her prejudiced point. Instead of recognizing that many people, both straight and gay, are opposed to anti-gay hate, she is trying to make it sound like that this is only the action of "homosexual activists" who are engaged in the great "homosexual agenda."
But let me just make this clear as a heterosexual believer in LGBT rights, I'm not promoting a "homosexual agenda," but rather the belief that all human beings are equal in the eyes of God and should be seen as equal in the eyes of the law and society too.