Oklahoma State Representative Sally
Kern defended earlier statements against gays and lesbians yesterday
in a debate with Democratic challenger Ron Marlett.
In a heated debated against Marlett
Thursday, Kern, who is running for a third term, defended her
position against the “gay agenda,” and repeated her statement
that gays represent the biggest threat to the nation.
“While terrorism has killed more than
3,000 people in the continental United States in the last 15 years,
homosexual behavior has killed more than 100,000,” the Republican
representative said. “It's a danger to life. It is a danger to
health.”
Kern drew a firestorm of protest from
gay groups in March when she said, “I honestly think it's
[homosexuality] the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than
terrorism or Islam,” at a gathering of Republicans in Oklahoma
City.
At the 2-hour debate hosted by the
Northwest Chamber of Commerce in Bethany, an unidentified man was
escorted out of the building by police after asking Kern about the
gun she brought into the state Capitol building. The man was
referring to two separate Summer incidents where Kern was caught
attempting to enter the building with a handgun.
Marlett has said he entered the race
because of Kern's anti-gay remarks. “To compare certain members of
our community to a cancer that might need to be removed or amputated
is chilling to me,” he said.
Kern, however, stood her ground even as
Marlett's wife stood up and called her a liar. “Our country is
united pretty much against terrorism, but homosexuality is being
promoted in schools and by the government,” Kern said.
On XM satellite radio's The Agenda
with Joe Solmonese, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund President and
CEO Chuck Wolfe discussed Kern's anti-gay tirades.
“She in no way apologizes [for her
anti-gay rhetoric] ... Regardless of the number of business interests
who are upset that she has set the tone that Oklahoma is an
unwelcoming state for business. She still revels in it. You just
think the Party would start to figure out its going to hurt their tax
rolls eventually, but not yet,” Wolfe said.