More than 1,000
people rallied at the state Capitol on Wednesday in
support of a state legislator who has been widely criticized
for antigay remarks caught in a YouTube audio clip.
Republican state
Rep. Sally Kern was denounced by gay and lesbian groups
after she was recorded telling a recent gathering of fellow
Republicans outside the Capitol that homosexuality
poses a bigger threat to the nation than terrorism.
Kern was cheered
Wednesday when she told the crowd that their support
affirmed the rights of conservative Christians ''who want to
stand up for the truth of God's word.''
''What has
happened to me has served to advance the gospel,'' said
Kern, who was greeted with chants of ''Sally, Sally''
and was frequently interrupted by shouts of ''Amen.''
Kern said she
received thousands of angry telephone calls and e-mails
after an audio clip of her comments about gays and lesbians
were recorded and posted on YouTube last month by the
Washington, D.C.-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.
''Studies show no
society that has totally embraced homosexuality has
lasted more than a few decades,'' Kern said in the recorded
comments. ''It is not a lifestyle that is good for
this nation.''
Kern, who was
joined at the rally by Baptist ministers including her
husband, the Rev. Steve Kern, has rejected demands that she
apologize and said her beliefs are rooted in biblical
passages that she said characterizes homosexuality as
a sin.
''You cannot
separate your faith from life,'' she said. (Tim Talley, AP)