News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | UCO conference attendees react
The University of Central Oklahoma hosted the Sexual Identity and Spirituality Conference Friday evening.
Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern sat down with News9.com's Audrey Esther for an exclusive interview.
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By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9
A recent YouTube video is generating a lot of attention at The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
Representative Kern told NEWS 9 Oklahoma's gay community shouldn't be surprised by her remarks, but those attending a Sexual Identity and Spirituality Conference on the UCO campus said they're not only surprised, they're shocked.
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The small crowd of gays and straights tried to focus on guest speakers, but some admit it was hard to do after hearing a YouTube video that said:
"This stuff is deadly and it's spreading, and it will destroy our young people," Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern said.
Members of the metro's gay community are finding it hard to believe Kern also says homosexuality is a bigger threat than terrorism.
"What she's saying is outrageous, and completely a betrayal of the public trust for someone who is elected to a public office," Reverend Scott Jones of the Cathedral of Hope said.
Rev. Scott Jones is just one of a number of religious leaders in Oklahoma who are hosting this weekend's sexuality conference.
"If she's so concerned about our health and well-being, then she would support things like marriage equality and employment and housing rights and hate crimes legislation," Jones said.
"According to God's word, that is not the right kind of lifestyle," Kern said.
In Representative Kern's speech she makes several references to the Bible's take on homosexuality. Pastor Paul Blair showed up at the conference and agrees with Kern's comments.
"I agree with everything that God's word has to say," Pastor Paul Blair of the Fairview Baptist Church said. "The Bible's very clear about God's ideal for a home."
But Reverend Jones says Kern's rant is filled with everything but the truth.
"Historical errors, psychological errors, scriptural errors, and just one thing after another that she makes in that speech," Jones said.
A number of those attending say they plan to write, e-mail and call Representative Kern's office first thing Monday morning and they're urging the rest of America to do the same.
The conference in Edmond will continue Saturday and wrap up on Sunday.
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