Oklahoma Baptist Pastor Steve Kern, husband of notorious Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern, reportedly believes gay Americans should be incarcerated and forcibly “cured.”
“We have to get rid of that and start curing those sinners. It’ past time that this nation stopped placating sin and start putting them in education programs. Courts can force drug offenders into treatment centers and violent people into anger management. There’ no reason our courts can’t do that with homos.”
While he builds support among ex-gay activists for arrest and involuntary quack medical treatments, Kern in the meantime is said by the Gossip Boy blog to be teaming up with Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett to rid the city’s public libraries of accurate health, scientific, and therapeutic information about sexual orientation. According to James Miko and Wayne Fuller, the pair plan a campaign to “rid the library system of all gay and lesbian materials, as well as those their church-based philosophies find objectionable.”
Their goals:
- Win the 2010 governor’s race and gain power at any cost
- Deprive Oklahoma families of any information that might help them accurately and constructively understand gay family members
- Censor information that exposes the persistent failure of ex-gay programs to “change” their participants’ sexual orientation
- Use government power and taxpayer money to enrich corrupt ex-gay quacks from Exodus International and NARTH, the religious-rightist reparative-therapy lobby.
According to Gossip Boy:
A source close to Cornett alleges, “The Mayor is looking to become Oklahoma’ next governor in 2010. With the conservatism rampant in the state, he feels now is the time to fully side with fundamentalist Christians in order to get their backing. He believes one way of doing that is going on an all-out assault on gay citizens. Even if things are done that would later be overturned in court at a great cost to the City, he will walk away a hero to certain people.”
The insider also stated, “The Mayor is aware that Ernest Istook is returning to Oklahoma to join the governor’ race again. Istook has the conservative base locked in, so the Mayor must shake loose Istook supporters if he is to get past the Republican primary. Gays are easy targets for him. He tried to use them in 2006, but it backfired. This round he wants to make it clear he is without a doubt against gay rights.”
Gossip Boy received other tips regarding Cornett’ ambitions and the scheme to appease Christian extremists, who sided against him in the 2006 race for 5th District Congress, and began a covert ploy to expose it. A reporter posed as a citizen working with the Mayor to push gay and lesbian literature out of city libraries and contacted Steve Kern.
Cornett and Kern seek to sacrifice the safety, health, and livelihood of gay Oklahomans and their families so that Cornett can win an election as a far-right Republican alternative to the conservative Republican former Rep. Ernest Istook.
Exodus International and NARTH have thus far declined to speak out against this alliance. Exodus has three member activists in Oklahoma: Lewis E. Palmer, Chuck McConkey, and Stephen Black. Black has previously promoted Sally Kern’s hate campaign against gay Oklahomans.
Instead of leading constructive action to preserve Exodus’ credibility and defend freedom, Exodus executive vice president Randy Thomas has fueled support for extremist antigay action by parroting unsubstantiated and false accusations of widespread violence at 300 peaceful gay protests which were held by thousands of gay couples and their friends on behalf of the freedom to marry. At a time when persons perceived to be gay or lesbian face rising violence from right-wing extremists, Thomas seems determined to fuel misdirected public fear, anger and mob retribution against same-sex-attracted persons.
Thomas’ objectives seem clear:
- Distract the public from his movement’s political efforts to undermine non-fundamentalist Americans’ individual and religious freedoms
- Distract public attention from his movement’s deceitful and illegal activities against voters during election-season campaigns to constitutionally abolish the freedom to marry
- Generate public pity for ex-gay political activists who are thwarted in their efforts to achieve the goal of “freedom from” homosexual persons, “freedom from” religious minorities, and freedom from personal responsibility by having one’s religious and sexual values dictated by fundamentalist government officials.
Hat tip: Joe.My.God, Box Turtle Bulletin
Homo-Hater’s Hubby Gets
Outed in Phone Call–
Gay Men Need “Education Programs”
________________________
Mayor and Public Library Commission
Going on the Homo-Hating Warpath?
by James Nimmo
(OKLAHOMA CITY) The anti-gay forces of the Oklahoma GOPer Party and their religious fundie faction are making plans to further suppress the civil rights of Oklahoma’s gay and lesbian taxpayers.
Having knocked out our marriage options with State Question 711 in 2004, that outlaws same gender marriage as well as straight common law marriages, next on their revenge agenda is taking over the Oklahoma County Metro Public Library System (www.metrolibrary.org) by packing the 28-member board (http://tinyurl.com/5ozooo) with religious extremists who, caring nothing for the Constitution, believe that their private religious practices should be followed in selecting and maintaining the public library system’s collection of books.
This is not the first time Oklahoma County library services have been targeted as easy pickings for the politically challenged. Remember the Tin Drum video seizure (http://tinyurl.com/6ges4j) and Rep Sally Kern’s first foray into the public light of day (http://tinyurl.com/675xs9)?
An Oklahoma City-based gay/lesbian news website (www.Gossip-boy.com) has made public that Mayor Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City is planning to pack the public library Commission of Oklahoma County with more of his favorite fundie friends in order to prove to ultra conservative Oklahoma voters and out-of-state contributors that the Ten Commandments is his Constitution, and not the one on display in the National Archives, when he announces his run for governor of Oklahoma in the near future.
The civil rights of gay and lesbian taxpayers as well as the tax money of all the County’s citizens must be subverted to further the political shenanigans of a repressive, regressive snake-oil salesman.
Let me suggest that the word “public” has a different meaning to religious fundies than it does to you and me. As we’ve seen in the eight years of the Bush Administration, words are given a facade of meaning which disguises the true purpose the words will effect. Words for them are wolves in sheep’s clothing, a shell game of meaning.
The article at (http://tinyurl.com/6dcsaz) on the Gossip Boy website has just been posted and reveals much that I’ve suspected was going on behind the cloak of righteousness that deeply deranged religious people like to wear.
Among some of the blockbuster revelations in the article are Steve Kern’s remarks, husband of infamous YouTube Queen and gun slinger Rep.Sally Kern (http://tinyurl.com/yr63qo), that have been transcribed from a phone call wherein he uses derogatory language about gay men, thinking he’s talking to one of his brothers-in-Christ. Steve Kern says gay men should be forced by law to go to “education programs”.
As you recover from that breath-taking idea don’t even think of using the “Nazi” word; instead use a new comparison–Pol Pot of Cambodia.
Just what would the syllabus of this “education program” contain? Anatomical drawings of humans in various states of arousal used for stimulus in shock therapy and aversion demonstrations?
Would Ted Haggard be brought in for a power point presentation?
What would be the final “exam” (final solution?) to this “education program”? Doses of Viagra administered to the “students” with naked, supine, voluptuous women brought in to make sure the men have learned their “lessons”?
Who would do the “grading”? Steve Kern? Sally Kern? Would there be a grading curve? Would re-testing be allowed? Just what would be considered failure?
The Gossip Boy (www.gossip-boy.com) article is excellent and reviews the background people will need to know who have either forgotten, are new to the situation, or are just now getting involved in the issues of religiously propelled suppression of civil rights. I’ve been a 16-year observer of the Oklahoma County Library Commission and this is exactly the article I wish I could have written. Though I had no hand in its writing I will vouch for the accuracy of the background material provided.
This year the Oklahoma Legislature is dominated by a GOPer majority in both Houses for the first time in state history. There is now no parliamentary way for bills injurious to civil equality to be killed in committee by a friendly Democratic chair.
I don’t see any assistance on the horizon; it’s going to be all our fight, sink or swim.
We gays and lesbians are in for a tough ride in Oklahoma that will test the resolve of our commitment and the strength of our character to ensure our birth right as American citizens.
Why are Christians trying to destroy this nation? People have the right to their own religious beliefs, and they also have the right to NOT have a religion.
So what makes Christians think that it is ok to put their beliefs into laws that all Americans should follow?
And you know,
The debate rages on whether homosexuality is normal or abnormal, sinful or not sinful, perverse or natural.
Now the overwhelming evidence suggests that no, homosexuality is not abnormal, homosexuality is not sinful, and homosexuality is natural for a minority of people.
But the irony is, gay rights aren’t even about that at all. It’s not about whether homosexuality is right or wrong, it is about whether or not the United States is going to live up to its promise of treating everyone equally.
Debate, debate, debate. But what it all comes down to, is it’s a free country, and I’ll date whoever I wanna date, and as long as they are a consenting adult like, me, sleep with whoever I wanna sleep with.
“Homosexuals should be forced into therapy”
Well, I don’t see anyone else who has a sex problem (assuming homosexuality is a sex problem, which it isn’t) being forced into therapy.
The church speaks against sexual promiscuousity. Why don’t we make THAT illegal? The church says that denying God is a grave sin. Why don’t we make ATHEISM illegal?
The bible says that over-induldgence is sinful. Let’s force all the obese people on diets! They CHOSE to be obese by eating so much!
Yet, homosexuality is considered to be a sin just like obesity, atheism, and sexual promiscuousity, but the church mysteriously targets homosexuality.
I don’t get it, I really don’t……
I think that they come up with this garbage because the LGBTQ community is really the last group it is OK to treat like criminals and second class citizens. Also, some of the groups mentioned above are larger than the LGBTQ community ,so, like the cowards they are, they’re going to go after a group that they think won’t fight back–or if we do, that the sheer numbers of homophobes in this country can “put them in their place”.
Sometimes, I really gotta wonder what kind of karma I must have to be a gay man in Oklahoma!
Let’s make a deal with Sally and Steve:
Gay people will go into “re-education” as soon as the Kern family agrees to a mental evaluation, and must take any prescribed koo-koo medications and therapy. Oh yeah, and the doctor has to be a REAL doctor – not one of these “christian” doctors who got his degree from a Cheerios box.
If they fail to pass as a sane person, they have to agree to be locked away in a loony bin, and gay people can go on their merry way.
Oh, this would be SUCH an easy win. Beings they forced their gay son into “re-education therapy”, they can get a taste of their own medicine. The Kern family is dysfunction and crazier than hell, about as smart as an inbred family, so gay people would have nothing to lose in bringing up this deal to them.
[...] is how scary it is out there: Scary s**t. Those of you on either coast, please don’t discount these lunatics. Remember: Prop 8 passed [...]
“Why are Christians trying to destroy this nation? People have the right to their own religious beliefs, and they also have the right to NOT have a religion.
So what makes Christians think that it is ok to put their beliefs into laws that all Americans should follow?”
They may believe in Jesus, but they’re NOT Christians.
First and foremost, they’re ego-addicted supremacists who “worship” getting what they want, and what they want is power, prestige, and pride. Christianity is something they use to justify their actions as “God’” will, and by extension, they can then shriek of religious persecution when any government entity doesn’t do as they say.
Ultimately, we gays are just a fundraising tool to overthrow the government so they can take charge and make secular society (anyone who disagrees with them in any way) subservient to them. Heaven on Earth, as it were, for the “chosen ones.”
Of course if that ever happens, women, religious minorities and the ex-gays who helped make it happen, are going to find out right quick just where they stand in the hierarchy of man, or even if they have standing.
Steve Kern claims that gays should be put into education programs until they are “cured”?? And this man is a pastor? His wife Sally Kern sits on a legislative seat in our Oklahoma legislator and passes laws with such hatred ? A poster above mentioned above all gays want is their equal rights well amen to this… We the citizens of this country and this statemust demand politicians begin to protect our civil liberties or we shall remove them from office and vote them out..My son http://www.rickyslife.com is registered cause hehad teen sex at 16 and even though record expunged he has to register as a predator for life..OK politicians claim this is wrong but no law has been passed to help my child who rights daily are being volated. Lets work together folks and begin to educate the people to the true corruption and hatred our government surpasses to its people cause we are no longer a free country. Hell next Steve Kern be thinking of a public registry for gays/lesbians so folks can no their sexual preference. Please email me I have a radio showlike to discuss this issue http://www.talkingpointsradio.com and sign my pettion to help me save my child….thanks rickysmom@rickyslife.com Mary
please google and share “teens branded as sex offenders” by fox23 news…its time we fight for all our rights whether gay, lesbian, teens having consensual sex, etc. http://www.cfciowa.org or petition to save Ricky http://www.rickyslife.com or more kids http://www.derekoftexas.blogspot.com
Very simple…all the good people of Oklahoma have to do, (the ones who believe in rights, fairness and equality)is to get fed up enough with the Kerns Steve and Sallie is to rack up public office positions in an upwardly mobile fashion gaining valuable experience along the way to where they can begin to challenge every single homophobe in Oklahoma public office and do so in every Oklahoma election cycle until
the homophobe begin to one day lose the grip one by one over the years. Those who do get in proving to do a better overall job than the bigot they replaced.
Visit Steve Kern’s office for your complimentary embroidered pink triangle patch, numbered tattoo, and free train ride.