Now Reading
Bigoted Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Jailed For Refusing To Issue Marriage Licenses To Gay Couples

Bigoted Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Jailed For Refusing To Issue Marriage Licenses To Gay Couples

Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk who made headlines this week by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples has been taken into custody by U.S. marshals and will be spending time in jail for her defiance of the law of the land. “The court cannot condone the willful disobedience of its lawfully issued order…If you give people the opportunity to choose which orders they follow, that’s what potentially causes problems” wrote Judge David L. Bunning of the U.S. Federal District Court. Taking a cue from previous incidents, Bunning felt that fines were not “motivation enough,” as they could be easily paid by supporters. She will remain in jail until she agrees to grant the licenses. Being a publicly elected servant, she may not be fired, only impeached.

Davis was not pleased with the result. “I never imagined a day like this would come, where I would be asked to violate a central teaching of Scripture and of Jesus himself regarding marriage. To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience. It is not a light issue for me. It is a heaven or hell decision.”

The irony, of course, is that Davis has been married four times, violating a marriage law that is in fact in the Bible, which does not speak on the issue of same-sex marriage. This was the expected outcome, but one that needed to happen. The Supreme Court lays down the law, and it must be obeyed, no matter how many preachers or firebrand attention-seeking Republican presidential candidates tell you otherwise. While she may become a martyr to the right wing, she will remain a symbol of hypocrisy and hateful discrimination to the rest of America.

Featured image from The New York Times

Colin Taylor
Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.

© 2022 Occupy Democrats. All Rights Reserved.

Scroll To Top