George Takei Says Kim Davis Is 'No Hero'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Former "Star Trek" actor and gay rights advocate George Takei is speaking out to his sizable Facebook following about Kim Davis' release from jail.
The clerk from Morehead, Ky., has become the face of religious opposition to the Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. A federal judge forced an end to Davis' marriage boycott and hauled her away to jail.
On Wednesday, Davis was released from police custody, walking out of the jailhouse to a waiting crowd of supporters. "Eye of the Tiger" played to the crowd - something the group Survivor has openly objected to - as Davis took to a stage with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and her attorney Mathew Staver.
Takei shared a video of the rally and prefaced it with a message that criticized Davis' patriotism, rather than her religious stance:
"So let us be clear: This woman is no hero to be celebrated. She broke her oath to uphold the Constitution and defied a court order so she could deny government services to couples who are legally entitled to be married. She is entitled to hold her religious beliefs, but not to impose those beliefs on others. If she had denied marriage certificates to an interracial couple, would people cheer her? Would presidential candidates flock to her side? In our society, we obey civil laws, not religious ones. To suggest otherwise is, simply put, entirely un-American."
Takei has been married to Brad Altman since 2008 and is a vocal supporter of gay marriage.
There were others who celebrated Davis. Huckabee addressed Wednesday's rally, saying he was "willing to go to jail in her place."
"Kim cannot and will not violate her conscience," said Mat Staver, founder of the Liberty Counsel, the Christian law firm representing Davis.
Asked by CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan what Davis will do if a same-sex couple asks her to issue a marriage license, Staver said, "I think we're back to square one. That's why nothing has been resolved."
The attorney said it was possible she could go back to jail.
Meanwhile, Davis' deputy clerks have been busy while their boss was hauled to jail, issuing marriage licenses, including seven to same-sex couples, her employee Brian Mason told CBS News.
He says if Davis orders him to stop after she returns he won't be able to comply and instead must follow a federal judge's order to continue issuing licenses to anyone who's legally eligible to receive them.
