By John Mack Freeman
After the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision made same-sex marriage the law of the land, county clerks in several conservative districts have refused to acknowledge the right of same-sex couples to get married. Leaning on arguments that their religious freedom is being violated by having to serve same-sex couples equally, clerks in Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and several other states have refused to give wedding licenses to same-sex couples. In many of these instances, court cases have been filed to force the clerks into following the law.
In both Missouri and Kentucky, states that newly have same-sex marriage based on the decision, the Democratic governors of both states have released statements that they expect all of the clerks in their states to follow the law. Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky has even gone so far as to say that clerks that refuse to serve all people will no longer work for the state.
It will be months and potentially years before all of the brouhaha settles down and the fact that same-sex marriage is the law of the land for the future sinks in for everyone.
