Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Kim Davis enjoys artificial 'victory' while gays can still legally marry in Kentucky

Kim Davis will be celebrating a non-victory because of the new governor.
Anti-gay Kentucky clerk Kim Davis is back in the news and no doubt her supporters will be crowing:

Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin ordered the state to prepare new marriage licenses that do not include the names of county clerks, in an attempt to protect the religious beliefs of clerk Kim Davis and other local elected officials.

Bevin said he directed the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives to issue the revised marriage license forms to all county clerks. The executive order comes after Davis, the Rowan County clerk, spent five days in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis said she could not issue the licenses because they had her name on them.

Bevin said he issued the executive order to “ensure that the sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored.” It was one of five executive orders he issued Tuesday, the first of his administration, that mostly revised or suspended recent actions by former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear.

 . . . It’s unclear how Bevin’s order will affect a federal lawsuit brought by four couples against Davis. One of Davis’ deputy clerks has been issuing altered marriage licenses to eligible couples since September. They do not include Davis’ name or the name of the county. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the four couples, has asked U.S. District Judge David Bunning to order Davis to reissue the licenses. Bunning has not made a decision yet.

No doubt, Davis and her supporters will be claiming that this is what she merely wanted and it is a victory for her.

Don't be fooled. Davis is a silly demagogue who attempted to use the power of her office to force her religious beliefs on others. Bevin's order means nthing because gay couples in Kentucky can still legally marry.

And there is nothing Davis can do about it.

In other words, we are still drinking the champagne, so let her enjoy the little drips coming from our glasses.

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