ROWAN COUNTY, Ken. -- A gay couple walked out of a Kentucky clerk's office with a marriage license Friday, hours after the county's defiant clerk was hauled to jail for refusing to license same-sex marriages.
William Smith Jr. and James Yates, a couple for nearly a decade, were the first to receive a marriage license Friday morning in Rowan County, ending a months-long standoff.
Clerk Kim Davis has cited "God's authority" and refused to issue marriage licenses since the Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage in June. She defied a series of court orders.
Deputy clerk Brian Mason issued the license Friday morning, congratulating the couple and shaking their hands as he smiled. The couple embraced and cried.
Five of Davis' deputy clerks said they would obey U.S. District Judge David Bunning's ruling and issue marriage licenses Friday morning. Bunning says Davis could remain in jail for at least a week as he gives her deputies time to comply with his order. Her husband says she doesn't plan to resign and will not issue the licenses, and will stay in jail "as long as it takes."
One group cheered on the gay couple who got the license, while the other group preached and supported the clerk on Friday. When the couple got inside the office Friday, a man harassed them and said, "More sodomites getting married?" The couple did not respond, and a worker told the man to leave.
In a heated exchange, supporters of Davis yelled "I'm telling you the truth because I love you" while opponents yelled back that "Jesus loves everyone."