PFLAG Protests
Antigay Comments of Oklahoma Lawmaker

Supporters of LGBT Oklahomans will meet at the state capitol Tuesday to protest state representative Sally Kern's recently aired antigay tirade, according to a press release from Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Protesters also plan to use the event to request a meeting with Kern.

"Every Oklahoman, and every American, deserves a public servant who believes in the dignity of all our children and who refuses to take part in divisive and counterproductive attacks on our families," PFLAG wrote in a statement to be released at the rally. "Her remarks disrespect our GLBT loved ones, dishonor the service of nearly 10,000 lesbian and gay veterans in Oklahoma, and disregard her duty to uphold our country's most noble values. Representative Kern owes her constituents an explanation, and our families an apology."

Scheduled speakers for the event include the Reverend Loyce Newton-Edwards, the president of PFLAG's Oklahoma City Chapter, and attorney Richard Ogden, chairman of Cimarron Alliance Foundation.

On March 11, the Victory Fund, a national LGBT political organization, posted a recording of Kern's homophobic comments on YouTube. At a meeting with about 50 members of an Oklahoma Republican club, Kern said gays constituted a "bigger threat ... than terrorism and Islam" and accused them of indoctrinating young children. (The Advocate)