Kentucky County Clerk Refuses to Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses, Cites Christian Faith

A county clerk's office in Kentucky has reportedly refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses to gay couples on Thursday, drawing both criticism and support from the local community.

Following the June Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage a constitutional right, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis has said that her religious beliefs prevent her from being able to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Despite the federal court order to do so, on Thursday Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to both heterosexual and same-sex couples.

"Kim Davis is resolute in vindicating her rights," Davis' attorney and senior litigation counsel at Liberty Counsel, Roger Gannam, told Kentucky.com.

"Fundamentally, we disagree with this order because the government should never be able to compel a person to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs," Gannam added.

"People are cruel, and this is wrong," David Ermold, who was turned away with his partner for seeking a marriage license from Rowan County, told the New York Times. "Telling people to go to another county is like saying, 'We don't want your kind of people here,' " Ermold's partner, David Moore, added.

While the county clerk's office in Rowan County has gained a gathering of protesters in recent days, Davis has also received support from those in the local community who argue that the clerk is simply standing up for her religious beliefs.

"It's not about fixing it. It's about forcing people to compromise their convictions," local resident Randy Smith told The Courier-Journal. "The proponents of gay marriage simply want to force people, especially Christians, to accept what they are doing."