Flashback to June of 2015, the year where the Supreme Court finally legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. The summer was full of hope, Obama was still president, and the world was seemingly in a state of happiness, just for that moment. Flashforward to July of 2015, when an angry, homophobic, and unlawful Kim Davis, marriage clerk for Rowan County in Kentucky, denied David Ermold and David Moore, two gay men, a marriage license. There was outrage, from both ends of the spectrum, the right wing hailed Kim Davis as a hero, the left viewed her as a villain. Everyone should have viewed her as unlawful because she broke the law (and was briefly jailed).
Davis has stayed out of the spotlight for much of 2017. However, she recently made news when she went on a week-long trip to Romania to advocate against same-sex marriage and discuss “family values.” Romania is expected to make a decision about same-sex marriage before the end of this year, and her presence and input may or may not have influenced lawmakers.
David Ermold in response to Davis’s rampant homophobia and disapproval of the law has begun to “seriously consider” running against her for County clerk, meaning he would then take on the position of issuing marriage licenses in Rowan County.
Kim Davis should not be re-elected as a county clerk because she perpetuates this toxic homophobic culture that is ever so present in the U.S., and although, she may only really affect one county, her being elected shows that this country still welcomes such a backward ideology. If she is re-elected she will continue to make many in her country feel alienated, and considering its 2017; we should not have to deal with this anymore. Kim Davis, and people like her, cannot continue to spread messages that incite hate and still hold elected positions because it shows that we as a society still hold on to harmful and toxic beliefs.
2017 hasn’t been a great year and the next few year are going to be hard as well. However, within this hardship we have seen resilient people stand up for their beliefs. Australia recently voted yes to same-sex marriage, and many other nations are following. Slowly, but surely, we are neglecting these backward ideas of homophobia and welcoming inclusiveness, by keeping Kim Davis as a clerk, we’re doing a great injustice to the law of the land, by voting for allies of the LGBTQ community, or at the least people who acknowledge that same-sex marriage is legalized and should be recognized, we are moving forward. Let’s keep Kentucky Kim a thing of the past.
Photo: Brendan McDermid / Reuters via the Daily Beast.
