Kim Davis: It Is Time to Act
October 1, 2015
Kim Davis is not Rosa Parks. She is not a martyr, nor is she a hero. Kim Davis is the bus driver who refused to do his job when Rosa Parks sat down on that bus. Kim Davis did not need a U.S. Marshall to protect her while she was at work, she needed a U.S. Marshall to prevent her from having to do her work.
Our country has rarely welcomed change. This past June, the Supreme Court made a ruling we thought would bring about a more just, loving, and open society; one that would come with the same speed and alacrity that mobilized the same sex marriage movement. It was naive of us to think there would be no resistance after the Obergefell decision. We were wrong. We should have seen this coming and we should expect more to come. We cannot change the beliefs and views of others. What we can change is how we react.
Kim Davis wants attention. That is the foundation of her cause. Not her God, her faith, or her convictions. What she desires is attention, and we are giving it to her just as she hoped we would.
When we share, post, and re-post articles denouncing her we too are contributing to her cause. We perpetuate her story and draw out every second of her fifteen minutes of fame. When we call her a hypocrite and a bigot we are lowering ourselves to her level of blind hatred, we are not riding a wave of righteousness. Despite our intentions, we are as wrong as she and we are chopping the wood to keep her fire ablaze.
The sincerity and depth of her beliefs should not be in doubt as they are as sincere and strong as the beliefs of those who believe a marriage between two persons of the same sex is a basic liberty our country cannot deny us. We should denounce her actions, not her convictions.
History will not remember Kim Davis well, nor the supporters and politicians who stand by her side. We already know this to be true. History does not look fondly at the picture of George Wallace blocking the doorway at the University of Alabama. History remembers the students who had the courage to walk through that doorway. We must rise above and act, not just speak.
We live in a society where we are welcome to our own beliefs so long as they do not infringe on those of others. Ms. Davis has turned the tables. She isn’t stepping down and she isn’t resigning. And for now, she isn’t going away because we won’t let her.
We must prove to Kim Davis and her supporters that same sex marriage strengthens our country. If we change our reaction and deny her the attention she so desires, her fire will cease to burn.
Instead of spending our time, resources, and energy blogging, tweeting, and creating memes about her, it is time to show her how powerful love truly is. It is not our job to change her views or the views of others that may be contrary to our own, it is our job to prove to the world how strong and unified we are. It has been said that the arc of history is long and it bends in the way of justice. Together we can bend that arc sooner. The time for words has passed; it is now time to act.