OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A 59-year-old social worker says he plans to run against the Oklahoma lawmaker whose anti-gay remarks have provoked calls for her resignation. Democrat Ron Marlett said Monday he will oppose Republican Rep. Sally Kern in this fall’s election for her Oklahoma City-area seat in the state House. Kern has been criticized for saying homosexuality poses a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism. Her comments to a Republican group were recorded and posted on the video sharing web site YouTube by the D.C. based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.
Marlett says he abhors hatred and believes everyone is worthy of respect. He says extremists share many of the same views voiced by Kern. On March 18, about 300 people attended a rally at the Oklahoma state capitol to demand an apology from Kern and called on the legislature to adopt hate crimes legislation that would enhance penalties for crimes directed at gays and lesbians. “This kind of bigotry has lasted too long,’’ said Rev. Loyce Newton-Edwards, president of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays in Oklahoma City. “We’re willing to stand up and say: ‘No more.’” Members of the group had planned to invite Kern to the noon rally but were told she had already left the capitol. No state lawmaker attended the rally.
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