Bashing Back

Muaz Halees

This is not the subject matter I usually write about. I am a writer that writes about random subjects at random times throughout the day. I write about my life and my opinions. I avoid throwing stones because my house has many windows, but I have a stone in my hand now. This article is not meant to be inflammatory, it is meant to highlight how baseless and divisive some of our leadership has become.

We are our brother’s keeper, whether that brother is gay, black, Cuban, man, woman, Arab, Christian, Jew, Mormon, or any other incarnation of the human spirit. I believe that a witness to a murder has blood on his hands by way of inaction; well, we are all witnesses now, and it is time to act. We have witnessed hate and vitriol spew from the mouth of a leader, the mouth of a woman whose job is to represent Oklahoma in the most positive and unifying manner possible. Because of Mrs. Kern, District 84 of Oklahoma is now known as a prejudice district that spits on the lives of individuals that have done no wrong.

E Pluribus Unum—out of many, one. District 84 is not one of us. That one that has hate in her heart and power in her hands. Hitler was elected and he mongered hatred without any castigation. It is our responsibility to come to the defense of our gay and lesbian siblings. Prejudice starts small and grows; if left untouched hate festers and contaminates; if left alone hate overtakes and kills. The weight that crushed the bigotry of Don Imus, Michael Richards, and Mel Gibson must come down on Kern. She is more than a celebrity, more than a radio host; she is a leader in these United States. She is a leader that must be dethroned and reprimanded. As a writer I am a proponent of free speech and free thought, but as Oliver Wendell Holmes stated, “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” Sally Kern has just punched all of us in the nose. Do we have the bravery to react, the bravery to stand up for what is right?

Representative Sally Kern’s words will not be forgotten and must not be forgiven:

“I honestly think it’s the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam.”

I don’t recall a group of crazed homosexuals hijacking planes on September 11. I don’t recall a group of homosexuals blowing up the Oklahoma City federal building and ending 168 lives. The thinly veiled hatred against Islam is not unnoticed, either, Mrs. Kern. Hatred propagates hatred.

“Studies show, no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted for more than, you know, a few decades” -Sally Kern

Really, Mrs. Kern, really… Hitler had the same proclamation regarding Jews, and the KKK used this same rhetoric regarding African-Americans. Men used the same hate speech trying to quell the suffrage movement. Hatred had to be overcome for Mrs. Kern to become a State Rep. As you rise you must pull up, not step on the throats of your fellow citizens.

“It’s, it’s, it’s not a lifestyle that is good for this nation” -Sally Kern

Hatred is not a lifestyle that is good for this nation.

“And this, this stuff is deadly, and it’s spreading and it will destroy our young people, it will destroy this nation” -Sally Kern

Hatred destroys nations. Homosexuality is deadly? Mrs. Kern, you are such a misguided and damaged individual that I have no words that will accurately convey my feelings of frustration over these malicious statements.

Mrs. Kern uses the Bible as a defense of her hatred, to proselytize her malice. Okay, that is fine, Mrs. Kern, but Hitler followed the same tactic.

“Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: ‘by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.’” -Adolf Hitler

We have a responsibility to stand united. This is not a political issue. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is a humanitarian issue. We must remember the name and face of Matthew Shepard. We must remember the name and face of Emmett Till. We must remember the name and face of Anne Frank. We must remember that these three lives and countless others were lost because of hate, a hate that started out with words and became action. We must remember that backing down to hatred leads to loss of freedom, liberty, life.

Representative Kern has the right to believe and say anything she wants, just as I do to lament her actions. But she does not have the right to propagate her hatred while employed by the citizens of this country to carry out their best interests. We must speak up; we must write and make our voices heard. We must make sure that the GLBT community knows they are not alone in their struggle. If we don’t, we may be the next targets of Mrs. Kern. I urge you to write to Mrs. Kern, in a peaceful manner. Inform her that her words hurt, that her words are untrue, that her hate has not gone unnoticed, and that these wounds will not heal through time.

I am not gay. I am a straight man that understands his responsibility to come to the aid of his fellow man or woman, regardless of race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. I am a promoter of unity, freedom, and equality. I am an American that understands what America stands for. I am an American that understands that Mrs. Kern does not represent me, or the America I love.

Representative Sally Kern’s contact information as reported on the OK State House Website:
(405) 557-7348
sallykern@okhouse.gov
2713 Sterling Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73127