Anti-Gay Campaign Plotted For Oklahoma City

Jim Burroway

December 8th, 2008

Mayor Mick CornettThe Gossip-Boy web site has uncovered evidence of a major upcoming anti-gay campaign by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and a local pastor who advocates court-ordered “education programs” to “cure” gay people.

According to James Miko and Wayne Fuller, Mayor Cornett plans to team up with Olivet Baptist Church pastor Steve Kern (OK State Rep. Sally Kern’s husband) to unleash a campaign to “rid the library system of all gay and lesbian materials, as well as those their church-based philosophies find objectionable.”

The planned anti-gay drive is reportedly part of Mayor Cornett’s longer-term strategy for the 2010 governor’s race. According to unnamed insiders, the Mayor hopes that by waging this campaign targeting gays and lesbians, he will gain the good graces of fundamentalist voters and “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’s 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.”

Miko and Fuller were able to confirm the outlines of the anti-gay plot by calling Pastor Kern while posing as a citizen working with the mayor. The transcript is posted online, in which “GB” (the Gossip Boy reporter) spoke with Steve Kern about a couple of recommendations for the library commission:

Pastor Steve KernGB: Blair, I am familiar with him personally, is a terrific choice. The man will stand his ground and will certainly help keep the faggots in line. He’s a pretty big boy. Ha ha.

SK: Ha ha. Very true. Paul won’t take a lick of nonsense from the homos. He’s been such a blessing to Sally and I. Always supportive and always there for us. Even before this mess with them in March.

GB: Well good for him. He’s a real man of God and his service to everyone has not gone unnoticed. We need all the help we can get to make sure the perverts keep their nasty lifestyle out of our city libraries and away from our children. The sickness is spreading into everything.

SK: We have to get rid of that and start curing those sinners. It’s 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’s no reason our courts can’t do that with homos. [Emphasis added]

Pro-gay advocates often suspect politicians of cynically expoiting anti-gay sentiment to further their political careers. We rarely have such a smoking gun as this one. And we also rarely get such a clear indication of the kind of “justice” some of our opponents envision if they had their way. To these people, re-education camps aren’t out of the question.

Piper

December 8th, 2008

This guy is friggin scary. It angers me that people like him are out there spreading such hate and giving liberal Christians a bad name. RE-EDUCATION CAMPS? Wow. that’s all I can say, WOW!

Rick

December 8th, 2008

Please explain to me how it is possible for “a real man of God” to make a career out of hating others?

AJD

December 8th, 2008

It’s nice to finally see proof of what I’ve been thinking all along: That the “nice” religious right people are just as hateful as the Westboro Baptist Church.

I’m not sure if what the GB guys did would be considered an ethical journalism tactic, but at least their use of the “Borat method” was effective…

GDad

December 8th, 2008

That’s amazing. I can’t imagine that any such effort would make it past the first court case, unless they were in front of Justice Roy Moore in Alabama.

SharonB

December 8th, 2008

Why do you think a lot of states still keep the anti-sodomy laws on their books, even though Lawrence struck them down?

It’s part of their final solution to the homo-problem.

AJD

December 8th, 2008

This is scary enough that I sent a message to the people at GB encouraging them to forward a transcript and/or audio file of the call to national media.

V

December 8th, 2008

Yep, men of God.

They love us, you know.

Watch the ex-gays and defend them.

L. Junius Brutus

December 8th, 2008

“The planned anti-gay drive is reportedly part of Mayor Cornett’s longer-term strategy for the 2010 governor’s race. According to unnamed insiders, the Mayor hopes that by waging this campaign targeting gays and lesbians”

Sounds familiar?

Sounds like John Briggs.

Swampfox

December 8th, 2008

Oklahoma must be hell for those that are coming to terms with their homosexuality.

David C.

December 8th, 2008

I don’t want to apologize for, or paint all “evangelicals” with the same brush, but everybody needs to do a little homework to learn where these people get their “values”. Doing so is critical to future strategies aimed at thwarting vilification of gay people for political gain, especially where it is through an instrument of Faith.
~~

Here is an excerpt from a more “mainstream” interview with Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, an organization that represents 52 denominations and 45,000 churches:

(Frontline Interviewer): What are the other [tenets of evangelicalism]?

“The third aspect of evangelicals, which I think is very important, is that they attempt to share that faith they have with others in a broad manner of fashion through charitable activities, through witnessing their faith. [It’s] very important to witness for Jesus Christ to others. But that witness can take many forms. Certainly one form, apart from charity efforts and the rest, is political involvement. We think that’s simple obedience to the call of Jesus Christ — to be an active citizen in one’s society. There’s no question about it. …” [Emphasis mine]

You can read all of the interview here.

After a small amount of effort, I was unable to determine with full certainty whether Olivet Baptist Church was “covered” under one of the National Association of Evangelicals member denominations or organizations.

Extreme examples like the one being reported here in BTB are the norm for some of the more rabidly anti-homosexual sects of evangelical Christianity. This is not however the case for all Christians: the more moderate and tolerant voices from within mainline Christianity will be needed to persuade the more strident sects to stop supporting anti-gay policies.

Gay Oklahomans need to identify those mainline and moderate Christian organizations in their state and call on them to work through their faith connection with Olivet Baptist Church pastor Steve Kern to persuade him and his flock to renounce false-witness against gay people, and withdraw their support for any political candidate that bares false-witness against any person or group.

Rob Lll

December 8th, 2008

David C, I think you mean *bearing* false witness.

Although “baring” false witness sounds like it could be fun. :)

David C.

December 8th, 2008

Rob Lll,

Yes, I saw that after I posted the thing. Unfortunately I can’t edit the post to correct it now. That particular homophone has a way of tripping me up at the most inconvenient moment.

Maybe Jim or Timothy could edit it for me now that I can’t. Sheesh, talk about egg on your face, how about the whole omelet.

KZ

December 8th, 2008

“According to unnamed insiders, the Mayor hopes that by waging this campaign targeting gays and lesbians, he will gain the good graces of fundamentalist voters and ‘walk away a hero to certain people'”

…and to certain other people, he’ll walk away a (insert expletive of your choice here).

John

December 8th, 2008

“re-education camps? More like imprisonment and brainwashing. Does he think he’s lawmaker, cop, judge, jury, and (mental) executioner? I suppose he’s going to ban the Surrey With The Fringe On top as “too gay”.

Attmay

December 8th, 2008

What do you expect from a state that authorized police to break into people’s homes and seize video copies of an Oscar-winning foreign film?

Lynn David

December 9th, 2008

Oklahoma must be hell for those that are coming to terms with their homosexuality.

Perhaps not much less so than when I was there in the late 70s and the 80s. You’d think all those good Christians who asked me to go to strip clubs should get the idea. Actually, I think my boss got the idea, and that might be the reason I think I got a raw deal from that company.

GDad

December 9th, 2008

David C. said:

Sheesh, talk about egg on your face, how about the whole omelet.

That’s really funny.

Your original comment about reaching out to moderates is very insightful.

Henry

December 9th, 2008

if you search on youtube “Cornett Ellen” you will find that the mayor appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show to talk about his city being dubbed” the fattest in America”. i kid you not. He even hugged Ellen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQS1yz18IPg

Taylor Ford

April 8th, 2009

This comment has been deleted due to excessive profanity, along with numerous other violations to our Comments Policy. — JB

Ray Roedell

May 6th, 2009

I am sick of monies being used to discriminate against citizens of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma.

Evidently Rev. Kern has not read the messages of Jesus speaking about LOVE.

A Prior Mayor had gay flags, benches etc. removed and waged a costly “war.”
Monies that even Judas would have wanted to be used for the poor.

The problem with Conservative Republican Chistians

1.Is that they claim to be “Conservative” which would usually keep the government smaller AND OUT OF our homes/bedrooms

2.They are both totally opposite of how a Christian is supposed to do/act.

3. Republicans want less Government etc. and they are imposing in our homes, bedrooms, lives, etc.

This is a cultural “war” of not our wanting BUT I’ll be damned if I will allow some homophobic Minister and Mayor to disrupt my Life

In any “war” there are traitors and we all can understand what happens to them!

Ray Roedell

May 6th, 2009

I am sick of monies being used to discriminate against citizens of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma.

Evidently Rev. Kern has not read the messages of Jesus speaking about LOVE.

A Prior Mayor had gay flags, benches etc. removed and waged a costly “war.”
Monies that even Judas would have wanted to be used for the poor.

Who is the bigger sinner
1. a Minister, his wife and Church using monies that would be better spent elsewhere.
2. a sill May that being in sports has probably seem more locker room foolishness
3. gay people.

The problem with Conservative Republican Christians

1.Is that they claim to be “Conservative” which would usually keep the government smaller AND OUT OF our homes/bedrooms

2.They are both totally opposite of how a Christian is supposed to do/act. Shouldn’t these people be preparing for their rapture or removing the beam in their own eyes?

3. Republicans want less Government etc. and they are imposing in our homes, bedrooms, lives, etc.

This is a cultural “war” not of our wanting BUT I’ll be damned if I will allow some homophobic Minister and Mayor to disrupt my Life

In any “war” there are traitors and we all can understand what happens to them!

AyameTan

January 14th, 2011

Yet more proof that social conservatism is social fascism. :(

YANA

May 13th, 2012

“Man of God” my ass. There IS no God. People like this make me certain of that.

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