Sally Kern on Wednesday gave a farewell
address to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in which she
condemned gay rights.
The Republican lawmaker is best know
for repeatedly declaring that gay rights pose a greater threat to the
nation than terrorists.
In 2008, Kern, the wife of a minister,
told a group of Republicans that “the homosexual agenda is
destroying this nation.” “I honestly think it's the biggest
threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam,” she
said.
Kern defended her remarks during a 2014
interview with Janet Parshall, insisting she was simply attempting to
use a metaphor.
“So everybody understands terrorism
destroys peoples' lives. It destroys property. All I meant was, all
I was saying was the homosexual agenda is destroying people's live.
More people have died from AIDS than have died from a terrorist
attack here in America. It's destroying the moral fiber of our
nation, that's all I meant,” Kern
told Parshall.
The controversy that ensued “broke my
heart because so often what they were doing; they weren't just
stoning me, they were stoning and desecrating the God that I love,”
she said.
Kern stood by her remarks during a
speech on the House floor on Wednesday.
“Yes, in 2008 I did say that the
homosexual agenda is worse than terrorism. Now we all know that
terrorism destroys lives, property and brings devastation. Just look
at where we are today in our society. A man who feels like a woman
can go into a ladies restroom now. A florist, a baker, a
photographer are being ruined financially because they wouldn't
participate in a same-sex wedding, since it goes against their
sincerely held religious beliefs. Same-sex marriage has been forced
on every state by courts when 31 of our states voted overwhelmingly
to define marriage as God has always defined it. In schools all
across the nation children are being encouraged to try the homosexual
lifestyle, and even to play act like the opposite sex because they
could be a transgender. And homosexuals are even wanting churches to
be punished for just sharing what the Bible says if it contradicts
what they want,” Kern
said.
“I didn't apologize in 2008 and I
don't apologize today, either,” she added.