Kim Davis: Opposing Same-Sex Marriage ‘Is A Heaven Or Hell Decision’

Anti-gay Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has released a statement after denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Tuesday.

Davis has repeatedly denied gay couples marriage licenses in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. She has also asked the judiciary to intervene on her behalf, claiming that it would be a violation of her ‘religious liberty’ to force her to provide equal rights to same-sex couples. And though the U.S. Supreme Court denied Davis’ request for an emergency stay of a federal judge’s ruling that Davis must in fact comply with Obergefell, Davis remains undeterred.

In her statement posted by the anti-gay Liberty Counsel,  Davis declares that the question of allowing same-sex marriage “is a Heaven or Hell decision” that centers on her “religious freedom”:

I have worked in the Rowan County Clerk’s office for 27 years as a Deputy Clerk and was honored to be elected as the Clerk in November 2014, and took office in January 2015. I love my job and the people of Rowan County. I have never lived any place other than Rowan County. Some people have said I should resign, but I have done my job well. This year we are on track to generate a surplus for the county of 1.5 million dollars.

In addition to my desire to serve the people of Rowan County, I owe my life to Jesus Christ who loves me and gave His life for me. Following the death of my godly mother-in-law over four years ago, I went to church to fulfill her dying wish. There I heard a message of grace and forgiveness and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I am not perfect. No one is. But I am forgiven and I love my Lord and must be obedient to Him and to the Word of God.

I never imagined a day like this would come, where I would be asked to violate a central teaching of Scripture and of Jesus Himself regarding marriage. To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience. It is not a light issue for me. It is a Heaven or Hell decision. For me it is a decision of obedience. I have no animosity toward anyone and harbor no ill will. To me this has never been a gay or lesbian issue. It is about marriage and God’s Word. It is a matter of religious liberty, which is protected under the First Amendment, the Kentucky Constitution, and in the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Our history is filled with accommodations for people’s religious freedom and conscience. I want to continue to perform my duties, but I also am requesting what our Founders envisioned – that conscience and religious freedom would be protected. That is all I am asking. I never sought to be in this position, and I would much rather not have been placed in this position. I have received death threats from people who do not know me. I harbor nothing against them. I was elected by the people to serve as the County Clerk. I intend to continue to serve the people of Rowan County, but I cannot violate my conscience.

The post Kim Davis: Opposing Same-Sex Marriage ‘Is A Heaven Or Hell Decision’ appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Kim Davis: Opposing Same-Sex Marriage ‘Is A Heaven Or Hell Decision’

WATCH: That Other Defiant Kentucky Clerk Named Davis Invokes 'Higher Power'

Casey Davis isn’t related to the clerk who is making headlines in another county, but like Kim Davis, he is standing firm in his defiance of Kentucky’s governor and the courts.

read more

Dawn Ennis

www.advocate.com/marriage-equality/2015/09/01/watch-other-defiant-kentucky-clerk-named-davis-invokes-higher-power

How To Have The Sex Talk With LGBT Children

Talking to a child about sex is tricky — and often stressful — for parents who want to strike a balance between being open, honest and truthful without veering into territory that could be inappropriate for a young age. But the conversation becomes even more complex with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) children, who often need an extended discussion about gender and sexuality that may be unfamiliar to heterosexual parents who haven’t experienced those issues firsthand. 

So what’s the best way to handle such an important parenting moment? HuffPost Live’s Nancy Redd talked with a panel of parents and sex experts on Monday to answer that very question. Watch part of the discussion above, and click here for the full HuffPost Live conversation about sex-positive parenting.

Also on HuffPost:

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Rugby player Sam Stanley’s boyfriend is not who you’d expect, and this is why it’s a very good thing

Sam Stanley has become the first English rugby union player to come out, and at the age of 23 has probably got the pick of twinks, twerkers and gym-obsessed twats.

But the England Sevens player is already taken, and it’s not who people might expect.

Meet Laurence Hicks.

La spiaggia ” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” />☀️❤️ @lorenzo_uk

A photo posted by Sam Stanley (@samstannerz) on Jul 26, 2015 at 8:00am PDT

Sam’s boyfriend is, let’s be fair, a little older. While we’re not entirely sure how old he is, he looks to be a friendly-looking guy in his 40s. He might not be playing rugby or training in the gym everyday like Sam, but he is attractive.

The funny thing is, is that Sam has been gently coming out of the closet for the past three months. You just had to know where to look.

This is from an end of season awards dinner.

 

Great evening at the end of season awards dinner! Was awesome getting to share it with this guy! @lorenzo_uk

A photo posted by Sam Stanley (@samstannerz) on Jun 26, 2015 at 4:27pm PDT

This is them at a Bette Midler concert.

VIP at the O2 tonight to see Bette Midler thanks to my man @lorenzo_uk A photo posted by Sam Stanley (@samstannerz) on Jul 19, 2015 at 11:21am PDT

This is at a family BBQ, where Sam explicitly refers to Laurence as his ‘other half’.

 

Family BBQ! Nice to spend time with my sis and cousin and other half of course @lorenzo_uk @oliviastanley.x @dejstanley #family #love #cousins

 

A photo posted by Sam Stanley (@samstannerz) on Jul 18, 2015 at 11:22am PDT

They seem like a pretty happy couple. Laurence works for a travel company, has two kids in their 20s, and, quick reminder, he takes Sam to see Bette Midler concerts. That is a good guy.

Why are people surprised by this pairing? Age gaps have been a part of gay relationships for centuries – just ask the Greeks.

It’s not like people mind (that much) about Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black, where there’s a 20 year difference. Or what about Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi? There’s 15 years between them. Stephen Fry and his husband Elliott Spencer? 30 years.

In Sam’s coming out interview to the Sunday Times, he said he considered committing suicide four or five years ago. After that moment, four or five years ago, he met Laurence.

‘I was standing on a bridge…overlooking a motorway in Essex,’ he said. ‘However, looking back, the idea that I would jump was ridiculous but it was as if I was thinking that I could get rid of the pain in one go.

‘You are so worried about what people will think and I thought I couldn’t be a macho rugby player the way I was, and there was nothing else I wanted to do with my life.’

When a lot of gay men and women come out, starting to navigate their sexuality, it’s natural for a lot of them to seek older people to date. These relationships may last a short while or it may last a lifetime, but it’s not as uncommon as you might think.

Sam is at a point where he may still be figuring himself out, and he might need someone more mature to help him out on his personal journey, or he might have simply just found someone that makes sense to have in his life.

This isn’t to say Laurence hasn’t had his own journey, he’s had two kids after all, but he might be the stability that both of them need. But who knows? It’s their relationship.

When people look at relationships with an age gap, some think the older one is always sleazy or the younger one is always a gold-digger. That’s judging at face value. And if you know anything about relationships, judging at face value can be a mistake.
Sam Stanley’s coming out will undoubtedly change the world of rugby. But it should also help to change our expectations of what a relationship is and what it should look like. As long as the love is there, who cares?

The post Rugby player Sam Stanley’s boyfriend is not who you’d expect, and this is why it’s a very good thing appeared first on Gay Star News.

Joe Morgan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/rugby-player-sam-stanleys-boyfriend-is-not-who-youd-expect-and-this-is-why-its-a-very-good-thing/

Live Blog: Kentucky Clerk Continues Fight Against Marriage Equality

This morning, Kentucky’s Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis yet again refused to provide a marriage license to same-sex couples.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/live-blog-kentucky-clerk-continues-fight-against-marriage-equality?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Watch Eddie Redmayne Become The Exquisite Lile In The Danish Girl

Judging from the gorgeous trailer for The Danish Girl, it won’t be a surprise if freckle-faced heartthrob Eddie Redmayne continues his award-winning best actor reign. The 33-year-old thespian, who numerous awards for his compelling turn as Stephen Hawking in last year’s The Theory of Everything, returns to the screen in another real-life role. This time he headlines as Lile Elbe, the Danish painter born Einar Wegener and considered one of the world’s first trans women and who underwent the first gender reassignment surgery in 1930. The dramatic love story, adapted from the book by David Ebershoff, opens in New York and Los Angeles on November 27, and in additional cities in December. We can’t wait!

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/AFxZZMquWFY/watch-eddie-redmayne-become-the-exquisite-lily-in-the-danish-girl-20150901

Kim Davis’ ‘Old Redneck Hillbilly’ Husband Says She Is ‘Standing For God’

Kim Davis’ fourth husband, Joe Davis, is standing by his woman and her defiance of the law, saying that Kim is “standing for God” by opposing same-sex marriage.

Mr. Davis was spotted arriving at the Rowan County courthouse, where his wife works and denies marriage licenses to same-sex couples, to “check on his wife”, according to the AP. Rather disturbingly, Mr. Davis seemed to suggest that he would not be opposed to using firearms to defend his wife:

Joe Davis says his wife has received death threats, and the couple changed their phone number. But he says he’s not afraid and believes in the Second Amendment.

He said: “I’m an old redneck hillbilly, that’s all I’ve got to say. Don’t come knocking on my door.”

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving Kim Davis no legal grounds to refuse to grant licenses. A district judge could now hold her in contempt, which can carry steep fines or jail time.

Joe Davis compared his wife to the biblical figures Paul and Silas, sent to prison and rescued by God.

He pointed to the gay rights protesters gathered on the courthouse lawn and said: “They want us to accept their beliefs and their ways. But they won’t accept our beliefs and our ways.”

The post Kim Davis’ ‘Old Redneck Hillbilly’ Husband Says She Is ‘Standing For God’ appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Kim Davis’ ‘Old Redneck Hillbilly’ Husband Says She Is ‘Standing For God’

Kentucky Clerk Refuses To Issue Marriage License To Gay Couples In Heated Exchange

WASHINGTON — A Kentucky county clerk on Tuesday refused to issue marriage licenses for two same-sex couples despite a Supreme Court ruling ordering the clerk to do so.

A video posted to Facebook by WKYT shows the gay couples repeatedly demanding that the clerk, Kim Davis, issue them marriage licenses.

“We are not issuing marriage licenses today,” Davis says in the video.

“Under whose authority are you not issuing licenses?” asks one of the men.

“Under God’s authority,” Davis responds.

The Rowan County clerk then asks the men to leave, before retreating to the back of the office herself. 

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Ukraine neo-Nazis destroy gay group’s office, nearly kill man who tried to stop it

Ukrainian neo-Nazis have destroyed an LGBTI group’s office, nearly killing a man in order to do it.

Queer Home Kryvbas, the only LGBTI group that welcomes the community in the western city of Kryvyi Rih, was the victim of an attack at around 8.30pm on 30 August.

Six masked men holding fire sticks and iron poles are believed to have thrown smoke bombs into the community center, trapping the seven victims inside.

Struggling to breathe, they tried to leave. When one activist tried to stop the six men, he was hit over the head and beaten mercilessly.

He is currently being treated for a severe concussion in hospital.

When police arrived, the attackers had already escaped.

This attack comes after one day after neo-Nazis broke into a Kryvyi Rih café at 2am where a small party for LGBTI activists was being held.

Witnesses say around 20 men in masks and wearing far right wing clothing broke in and beat up the people inside.

When police arrived, any attacker that was caught was quickly released.

It is unknown whether the two incidents were related.

A Gay Alliance Ukraine spokesperson said ‘one of the main functions of the state is to protect its citizens’.

‘Gay Alliance Ukraine appeals to the law enforcement authorities with the demand not only to punish the guilty in these two incidents, but to also do everything in their power to protect the lives, health and basic rights of the citizens of Ukraine’.

The post Ukraine neo-Nazis destroy gay group’s office, nearly kill man who tried to stop it appeared first on Gay Star News.

Joe Morgan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/ukraine-neo-nazis-destroy-gay-groups-office-nearly-kill-man-who-tried-to-stop-it/

Miley Cyrus and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Willam Are Tongue Trick Experts

Before she and her fellow RuPaul‘s Drag Race alumni joined Miley Cyrus for her rollicking performance at the MTV VMAs, Willam (photo, right) enjoyed a bit of dinner at Pump West Hollywood, owned by The Real Housewives’ Lisa Vanderpump. Read about it on the GayCities blog. Like Miley Cyrus, Willam makes extensive use of her tongue in public.

Also in the GayCities Los Angeles pages:

• Beware the invasion of gay DTLA — making downtown Los Angeles better than ever
• Hiking in Southern California has gone full lumbersexual
• Watch workouts at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica on repeat
• The beaches and boys of Laguna are some of the the best in the U.S.

Dan Renzi

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