¨LEGALIZATION WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH...TO BE SATISFIED WITH CURRENT ATTITUDES TOWARDS GAY RIGHTS IS TO BE ASLEEP TO THE REALITY OF THEM.¨
- MOLLY GARDNER
“Thank you all so much. I love you all so very much. I just want to give God the glory. His people have rallied, and you are a strong people.¨
These were the words Kim Davis spoke as a crowd of supporters cheered her release from jail on Tuesday, September 8th. Davis had been incarcerated for contempt of court after she famously refused to issue gay marriage licences in her home state of Kentucky. Although she was acquitted, the U.S. District Judge responsible for her case sent a formal order barring her from withholding marriage licenses to gay couples.
Davis, upon returning to her post in Rowan County, Kentucky, claims that she will not sign gay marriage licenses in her name, because it violates her religious views against same-sex marriage. When asked whether she is willing to go back to jail for her beliefs, Davis beamed. Later, her attorney told CNN reporters, "She loves God, she loves people, she loves her work, and she will not betray any of those three.¨
Davis' story, although the most widely reported, is not uncommon following the Supreme Courts legalization of gay marriage in June of this year. County clerks all over the country--though particularly in the bible belt--have refused to issue marriage licenses to every couple, spouting that it was directly discriminatory towards their religious beliefs. In June, a religious backlash towards the ruling was expected and even encouraged by some (including Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore). Yet as the months have passed upheavals have only increased and all in the name of religious freedom.
These cases are a powerful reminder to both the LGBT+ community and all of its allies: legalization will never be enough. It is just one small victory in the face of a world of discrimination, and to be satisfied with current attitudes towards gay rights is to be asleep to the reality of them.
Davis, and all others touting religious discrimination, may say they ¨love people,¨ but this is not entirely accurate. It seems love for all only extends until all people are given equal rights.
These were the words Kim Davis spoke as a crowd of supporters cheered her release from jail on Tuesday, September 8th. Davis had been incarcerated for contempt of court after she famously refused to issue gay marriage licences in her home state of Kentucky. Although she was acquitted, the U.S. District Judge responsible for her case sent a formal order barring her from withholding marriage licenses to gay couples.
Davis, upon returning to her post in Rowan County, Kentucky, claims that she will not sign gay marriage licenses in her name, because it violates her religious views against same-sex marriage. When asked whether she is willing to go back to jail for her beliefs, Davis beamed. Later, her attorney told CNN reporters, "She loves God, she loves people, she loves her work, and she will not betray any of those three.¨
Davis' story, although the most widely reported, is not uncommon following the Supreme Courts legalization of gay marriage in June of this year. County clerks all over the country--though particularly in the bible belt--have refused to issue marriage licenses to every couple, spouting that it was directly discriminatory towards their religious beliefs. In June, a religious backlash towards the ruling was expected and even encouraged by some (including Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore). Yet as the months have passed upheavals have only increased and all in the name of religious freedom.
These cases are a powerful reminder to both the LGBT+ community and all of its allies: legalization will never be enough. It is just one small victory in the face of a world of discrimination, and to be satisfied with current attitudes towards gay rights is to be asleep to the reality of them.
Davis, and all others touting religious discrimination, may say they ¨love people,¨ but this is not entirely accurate. It seems love for all only extends until all people are given equal rights.
