Justice

George Takei Issued a Blistering Response to the Celebration of Kim Davis

September 8th 2015

Actor, LGBT activist, and internet celebrity George Takei issued a blistering response to the release of clerk Kim Davis from a Kentucky jail on Tuesday—calling the entire event "a circus." Takei wrote:

"Well this is a bit of a circus. So let us be clear: This woman is no hero to be celebrated. She broke her oath to uphold the Constitution and defied a court order so she could deny government services to couples who are legally entitled to be married. She is entitled to hold her religious beliefs, but not to impose those beliefs on others. If she had denied marriage certificates to an interracial couple, would people cheer her? Would presidential candidates flock to her side? In our society, we obey civil laws, not religious ones. To suggest otherwise is, simply put, entirely un-American."

Related: Why the Trending Hashtag #MLKim Is Absurd

 

Davis, an avowed Apostolic Christian from Rowan County, Kentucky, is refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds—flying in the face of the Supreme Court's June decision, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The issue is that she is an elected official, actively denying couples a constitutional right, and in August, she was ordered by a court to issue licenses. After failing to comply with that order, she was found in contempt of court and given jail-time by Judge David L. Bunning last week.

On Tuesday, Judge Bunning allowed her to go free under the condition that she "shall not interfere in any way, directly or indirectly, with the efforts of her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples," the New York Times reported. The judge's order continued: "If Defendant Davis should interfere in any way with their issuance, that will be considered a violation of this order and appropriate sanctions will be considered." Five of Davis' six deputy clerks agreed last week to issue licenses in Davis' stead; the sole deputy clerk who declined to issue marriage licenses is Davis' son.

Davis, who counts former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as one of her supporters, appeared at a rally with Huckabee, who is also a GOP presidential candidate. Davis ascended the stage to the "Rocky III" theme song "Eye of the Tiger," before giving a brief speech, which ended in tears.

Related:These 3 Memes Shut Down The Logic of Kim Davis' Supporters

Related:George Takei Revealed Donald Trump's Hypocrisy on Same-Sex Marriage

Related: Kim Davis Arrested, Taken Into Custody

Related: Here Are the Best Kim Davis Memes 

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