The linked story is about the Rowan County Clerk, Kim Davis who is refusing to do her job and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The judge who most recently decided against her, has also stayed his decision to allow her to appeal to a higher court. The focus of the linked story is about if this is a “win” for the conservative side and is allowing her more time, but a different aspect of the case caught my attention.
Clerking has been a family business in Rowan County. Davis worked for her mother for 27 years before replacing her in the elected post this year, and her son Nathan now works for her. He personally turned away a gay couple last week.
Homophobia is taught and learned within the family, which s one reason why anti-LGBTQ zealots fight so hard against the legal acknowledgement of same-sex relationships and the evolving definition of “family.” They require a rigid gender role-based structure within which to keep teaching homophobia.
The Kim Davis case is an exception rather than the norm. We haven’t seen wide spread behavior among other county clerks, and partly because the Rowan County office is a closed system where one family influence is at work.
The good news of this is that if homophobia can be taught, respect for diversity and inclusion can also be taught. Now that would be some great family values!