While Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis sits in jail, deputy clerks there have started issuing same-sex marriage licenses this morning.
James Yates and William Smith, Jr. were the first couple to receive their marriage license Friday, reports WKYT. They said they tried six times before to get their license, but were unsuccessful.
Davis was ordered jailed during a hearing on Thursday after she continued to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses due to her religious beliefs. Davis, who was elected to her position, is a born-again Apostolic Christian and had become a symbol of religious freedom. She even attracted support from several Republican presidential candidates.
Judge David Bunning told Davis on Thursday that if he allowed her to ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriage is legal in the U.S., it would set a dangerous precedent.
According to The New York Times, Davis’ husband, Joe Davis, said that his wife will stay in jail until there is a law passed that will allow her and other county clerks to opt not to give out same-sex marriage licenses if it goes against their religious beliefs.
“She has done her job,” Joe Davis said. “Just because five Supreme Court judges make a ruling, it’s not a law.”
Davis is not the only Kentucky county clerk refusing to grant same-sex marriage licenses. Two others among the state’s 120 clerks are also refusing to do so.