The Kim Davis affair: marriage rights … and internet memes
Matthew Hays — the author of this op-ed — is a journalism, film studies and communication studies professor at Concordia. He is the author of The View From Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2007).
All hell broke loose last week when Kim Davis, an elected clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, who had steadfastly refused to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, was imprisoned.
The judge felt he had no choice; Davis had been offered a compromise, but she insisted, citing "God's law" as her reasoning. What some saw as a public official denying individual citizens their constitutional rights, others saw as the persecution of a conscientious objector.
Davis's sudden fame has led to a predictable backlash on social media. Memes have popped up noting her considerable likeness to Kathy Bates' character in Misery [see above]. Many have pointed to the obvious hypocrisy of someone who has been married and divorced several times citing the sanctity of marriage.
There have been takedowns about her clothing, hair and appearance, with one commenter suggesting she was essentially several seasons of Jerry Springer crammed into one person (that last one was mine). As writer Paul Rudnick commented, Davis wasn't aware that among certain gay men, every day is Judgment Day.
But I really wish Davis hadn't been sent to prison. I would rather the judge had done just about anything else to punish her. Either house arrest or suspension from her job — anything. The case is a complicated one legally, as she has been elected to this office.
I realize there is some satisfaction in seeing her arrested. She's a hypocrite and undoubtedly bigoted. But images of her mug shot, her being handcuffed and her going to prison, only serve to help the cause of those who hate LGBTQ citizens and would like to have their rights rolled back or infringed upon.
Her imprisonment changes the optics of the situation; Davis can now claim the mantle of oppressed victim, or underdog. She has become a cause. She is flanked by far-right Republican candidates, and greeted upon her release from prison by a euphoric crowd, many of them carrying crosses. They even played "Eye of the Tiger," the theme song for the Rocky III sequel. Some were comparing her to Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks.
If the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage was a victory, Davis's arrest is really only a setback. It is an unfortunate sideshow, an act that has granted her and her political allies more attention and power than she ever could have hoped for.
Read family policy expert Hilary Rose’s take on how we can make things better for LGBTQ youth.