Gay Marriage

While the same sex marriage ruling by the Supreme Court was well received by most, there are still people among the crowds who feel it was not the right decision. Many people are against gay marriage, mostly for religious reasons. This has created some issues for a few couples who wanted to get their marriage licenses. No story has been followed more closely by the media than that of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis. Since the ruling back in June of this year, she has stopped issuing marriage licenses for both homosexual and heterosexual couples. She is doing this because she protests the ruling, and she believes issuing these licenses is a violation of her religious beliefs.

Kim Davis

If you have been following the same sex news since the ruling, then you have probably heard of Kim Davis. Here is a quick rundown of her story:

• Mere hours after the ruling, Davis announced she was no longer issuing any marriage licenses.
• She believed doing so was a violation of her Apostolic Christian beliefs.
• While other clerks in the state of Kentucky didn’t agree with the ruling, they continued issuing marriage licenses.
• The Kentucky governor said she needed to issue these licenses whether she wanted to or not.
• After Davis continued to refuse, the case went to court.
• Judge David L. Bunning ruled against Davis, agreeing with the governor that the marriage licenses needed to be issued.
• Bunning stated “her religious convictions cannot excuse her from performing the duties that she took an oath to perform as Rowan County Clerk.”
• Mat Staver is representing Davis and wanted the decision to be put on hold while he appealed it. However, he lost his bid.

Supreme Court Involvement

Now, Staver and Davis are asking the Supreme Court to get involved. Despite the orders by the governor and a judge to issue licenses, she is still refusing. She is hoping that the Supreme Court will intervene on her behalf and rule that she does not have to issue the marriage licenses that go against what she personally believes in. She has been sued by four couples, two straight and two gay, for not issuing the licenses to them.

Davis Supporters

There are thousands of people who are applauding Davis for her refusal to issue these licenses. They feel her religious beliefs are being violated and she should be able to refuse to issue licenses to people who she does not agree should be married. They argue that while the Supreme Court has ruled that gay couples can legally marry, it doesn’t mean she should be required to issue those licenses. They are hoping the Supreme Court will take the case and rule on their side so her signature does not have to be associated with same sex couples.

Arguments Against

The majority of the country is against what Davis and her supporters are fighting for. Many feel that even if she objects same sex marriage, she can’t defy orders by the governor and a judge to give marriage licenses just because she doesn’t agree with it. They argue that whether you agree with the ruling or not, your individual rights cannot interfere with their rights. When you won’t issue them a marriage license, you are violating their legal rights.

Will She Give Up?

One might wonder when she will give up. After all, the governor told her she needed to issue the licenses and she still refused. Even when she was taken to court, she attempted to appeal the decision and failed. Now, they want the Supreme Court to get involved. If the Supreme Court tells her she needs to issue the marriage licenses, then will she do it? Only time will tell, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.