News

Kim Davis Still Just Doesn't Get It

by Alex Gladu

Over the past few weeks, Kim Davis has gone from rural public servant to primetime news circuit activist for her refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses in Rowan County, Kentucky, on the grounds that doing so violates her conservative religious beliefs. She has been put in jail, released from jail, and in danger of going back to jail again — and on Wednesday night, Kim Davis went on Fox News' The Kelly File to make her case.

Despite the legal troubles that the case has caused her, Davis stood by all of her actions during her interview with Megyn Kelly. Davis is currently being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), acting on behalf of two straight couples and two gay couples. Although Davis has returned to work, there has been some concern from an attorney for one of her deputy clerks that she isn't really following the court's order that she begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses. She swapped the standard marriage license forms with forms that don't require her signature, so that her deputies can issue the licenses without her approval, which could be problematic depending on what a judge has to say about it.

Although the controversy that surrounds her has taken over the airwaves recently, Davis herself has remained pretty quiet since she was released from jail. Upon her release, she addressed a crowd of supporters, reassuring them that she would continue to fight for what she considers her First Amendment right to practice religious freedom. (FYI, Mike Huckabee was her emcee.) In her exclusive interview with Kelly on Wednesday, she said more of the same — along with a somewhat "high and mighty" flair.

Ty Wright/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Not surprisingly, Davis' Fox News appearance was littered with references to the Bible. Throughout the interview, she justified her actions by repeating her interpretation of the Bible's traditional definition of marriage. She even said that if her own children were gay, she wouldn't issue them a marriage license because it's not in her faith to do so.

God's word states that a marriage is between one man and one woman, and that's what rules my faith.

She also stuck to her plea for an "accommodation," arguing that she deserves an accommodation to be made for her faith, just as certain other accommodations have been made in the name of religious freedom in this country. At this point, Kelly pushed back, asking her how she would feel if accommodations then had to be made for all sorts of people of all sorts of faith. Davis dodged these questions with weak responses like, "You're not talking about a racial issue," and, "I'm just talking about marriage in general."

Toward the end of the interview, Kelly asked Davis about the lesson she has taken away from all of this. Davis said that she hopes to make the point that, "One person can make a difference." Although considering she doesn't seem to support other accommodations made for people of other faiths (or races?), it's hard to see how she could hope to make such a sweeping difference. (Still, one woman can — and should — make a difference... but that woman should probably also be prepared to answer for that change in a larger context.)

Later in her show, Kelly spoke to the same-sex couple who were denied a marriage license in the video that went viral at the start of this ordeal. They explained their side of the story from that video, and they had a simple message for Davis.

I would just want to see her do her job. ... If she can't do her job, then let somebody else do it.

Ultimately, Davis will probably not be issuing any same-sex marriage licenses in the near future, if ever. She said that she is willing to return to jail if necessary — and she also suggested that she will not resign her position. "If I resign, I lose my voice," she said. "Why should I have to quit a job I love and that I'm good at?" There's no doubt that, as an American, Davis should have a voice — it's the part about her being good at her job that many will probably take issue with.

Images: The Kelly File (3)