Kim Davis Just Might Have Planned To Block Gay Marriage Licenses From The Beginning
I owe Kim Davis an apology. No, not for calling her out onĀ abusing her powersĀ as Rowan County, Ky. clerk or forĀ throwing a popeĀ under the bus.
Instead, I apologize because IĀ actuallyĀ had started to think of her as something of a naive pawn. Itās been evident from early into the Kim Davis controversy that her lawyer Mat StaverĀ had plansĀ for his āclientā. Those plansĀ often workedĀ against the logical best interests of Davis. It was starting to appear that Kim had no idea she was being used.
Well, the days of me thinking of Kim Davis as a naive puppet came to a screeching halt when I got wind of one heck of a bombshell discovery.
According to an exclusive report byĀ VICE News, word has started to circulate that the Kim Davis victim narrative never had a leg to stand on. Apparently, Kim Davis had taken a proactive approach to stopping gay marriagesĀ MONTHSĀ before theĀ Supreme Court rulingĀ on the matter.
āFive months before the Supreme Courtās landmark decision declaring same-sex marriage legal in all states, Kim Davis, the Rowan County Clerk in Kentucky who was jailed last month for defying a federal judgeās order to issue same-sex marriage licenses, wrote to state lawmakers asking them to back legislation that would exempt her and other county clerks from having to grant anyone a marriage license.
āDavis sent the letter to legislators about two weeks after she took office.ā
Repeated for emphasis, because I kind of have to:
āDavis sent the letter to legislators aboutĀ two weeksĀ after she took office.ā
Hereās what newly elected, pre-Supreme Court decision Kim Davis had to say about the possibility of having to issue gay marriage licenses.
āI can not ask my deputies to issue or be a party to āthe implementation of a contentious societal philosophy changeā (per Florida clerk with same views) if I myself would not.
āI know the deadline is close for presentation of bills on the floor, but in light of the Supreme Courtās decision to look at this in April, I feel it [imperative] that we be ready to stand with our uncompromising convictions, holding strong to our morals.ā
TheĀ Morehead News reported Kim Davis was as elected in November 2014 following a landslide victory over Republican opponent John Cox. She would succeed her mother, Jean Bailey, who held the office for 37 years. She assumed office on January 5, 2015 ā and sent out emails asking about how to block gay marriage licenses about a couple of weeks after that.
Hereās the scans of the Davis emails (viaĀ VICE News). I apologize in advance for the CAPS LOCK:
kd_wmĀ byĀ Ky Henderson
It appears Kim Davis was well aware that same-sex marriages would likely be made legal by a Supreme Court decision. Apparently, she was doing her best to find a legal avenue for turning away gay couples. Or, to put it more bluntly, using her office toĀ act out discrimination. Given the political atmosphere in Kentucky during her early days in office, thereās a reason she was confident that things would play out the way they did. You see,Ā Obergefell v. HodgesĀ is the landmark case that led to the June legalization of same-sex marriage.
It just so happens that two of the various cases that would allĀ be joined togetherĀ to becomeĀ Obergefell v. HodgesĀ wereĀ Bourke v. BeshearĀ andĀ Love v. BeshearĀ ā Two gay marriage cases being foughtĀ inĀ Kentucky.
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Weāre not talking about marriage equality cases that sprung up overnight, either. The plaintiffs had been part of a fight raging in Kentucky over same-sex marriage bans forĀ more than ten years. By the time these two cases were joined withĀ Obergefell v. HodgesĀ on January 16, itās highly unlikely that Davis was unaware of themā¦or their implications forĀ herĀ office. With this in mind, Kim Davis may very well have been laying the groundwork forĀ her future anticsĀ when she reached out via email to Republican Sen. Albert Robinson.
Because of the timing of Davisās election and the acceleration of same-sex marriage legal victories across America, some have argued that Kim Davis might have even taken office with the full intent of blocking gay marriages. However, until corroborating evidence can be found, such accusations remainĀ pure speculation.
For my part, I choose to believe these emails represent the intent by Kim Davis, from as early asĀ TWO WEEKSĀ into her role as Rowan County clerk to knowingly and willfully violate the constitutional rights of others.
Kim Davisās email was reportedly met with a positive response by Sen. Robinson, who encouraged her to reach out to Laurel County Clerk Dean Johnson āfor guidance.āĀ VICE NewsĀ is unaware what happened beyond that because neither Robinson nor Johnson responded to the siteās request for comment.
What do YOU think: Do you believe that Kim DavisĀ alwaysĀ planned to abuse her role as clerk and block marriages? Share your opinions in the comments below!