Source:
KOCO-TV,
Tulsa World
OKLAHOMA CITY -- State Rep. Sally Kern has been out of the news lately, but decided to refresh her anti-gay image Thursday with a press release and interviews criticizing a lobby day for workplace fairness.
She objected that "radical homosexual rights groups'' that planned a national day on Thursday to promote workplace fairness based on job performance.
Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said Oklahomans who support what she calls "traditional families" need to get more involved in policy fights "or we will cede the victory to groups seeking special rights based on changeable homosexual behavior."
The "Clock In for Equality'' day is being spearheaded by Lambda Legal, a national organization that is committed to achieving "civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work,'' said Hector Vargas, the New York group's deputy director.
"I would say that Rep. Kern is out of step with the vast majority of Americans, who believe that workers should be judged by the quality of their work and not by anything that is irrelevant to doing one's job," he told Tulsa World.
On its website, Lambda explains, "Clock In for Equality is a key part of Lambda Legal's work, engaging community leaders, employers and individuals to organize against workplace discrimination. Across the country, activists and LGBT allies will be gathering together to discuss workplace fairness and what they can do to combat discrimination."
Video link: KOCO-TV interview with Kern
Kern reacted to the event, calling it proof of a "gay agenda."
"I think it is an agenda that is not best for this nation because it undermines the traditional family and traditional marriage and that for thousands of years has been the bedrock of this nation," she said.
In a press release she called Lambda Legal "radical" and described homosexuality as "equally unhealthy" as drug or alcohol abuse.
Kern declared, "Lambda Legal makes clear that they will use harassment lawsuits and intrusive regulations to punish people who do not agree with their agenda or the lifestyle of their members."
Kern received national attention in March when she said gay people are a bigger threat to the country "than terrorism or Islam."
The Rev. Loyce Newton-Edwards of Oklahoma City said Kern is "really mischaracterizing the goals and ambitions of these groups." Newton-Edwards is president of Oklahoma PFLAG, an acronym for Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays.
Full article: Sally Kern Denounces Gay Rights Group | KOCO-TV
Kern attacks gay-rights groups over planned event | Tulsa World