Kim Davis, an Apostolic Christian, was sent to prison in Kentucky on Thursday for her stance in refusing to follow court orders
Jailed county clerk emerges as figurehead to campaigners opposing same-sex weddings as more promise to refuse Supreme Court ruling
The revolt over same-sex marriages is spreading across the Southern states of America after a county clerk was jailed for refusing to issue a wedding licence to a gay couple.
While her deputies began issuing licences on Friday, other officials said they would follow her lead in standing up for their beliefs.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, which campaigns against gay marriage, said efforts to make an example of Davis had backfired.
"Courage breeds courage, especially when it comes from unlikely places,” he said. “She may be the example that sparks a firestorm of resistance across this country."
A same sex marriage supporter waves a flag which reads "Born This Way" along West Main Street during a protest in front of the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Kentucky Getty Images
Within 48 hours, Davis was being cited as a figurehead by others with the power to issue marriage licences.
Nick Williams, Alabama Probate Judge, said he had ordered his deputies not to issue any licences at all since the Supreme Court made gay marriage legal across the US in June.
"Absolutely, I feel the same way. This is a cause worth standing up for," he told Reuters.
It means Kentucky may not be the last battleground over same sex marriages.
As many as 12 counties in Alabama are not issuing marriage licences in a state where they law says judges "may" issue licenses – a line interpreted by some as meaning they also “may not”.
And it is not just the South, where many states had bans on gay marriage overturned by the Supreme Court decision, where opposition lingers.
In left-leaning Oregon, a county circuit court judge is facing an ethics review over his refusal to perform same-sex marriages.
Within 48 hours, Davis was being cited as a figurehead by others with the power to issue marriage licences.
Nick Williams, Alabama Probate Judge, said he had ordered his deputies not to issue any licences at all since the Supreme Court made gay marriage legal across the US in June.
"Absolutely, I feel the same way. This is a cause worth standing up for," he told Reuters.
It means Kentucky may not be the last battleground over same sex marriages.
As many as 12 counties in Alabama are not issuing marriage licences in a state where they law says judges "may" issue licenses – a line interpreted by some as meaning they also “may not”.
And it is not just the South, where many states had bans on gay marriage overturned by the Supreme Court decision, where opposition lingers.
In left-leaning Oregon, a county circuit court judge is facing an ethics review over his refusal to perform same-sex marriages.
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