Actor and LGBT activist George Takei on Wednesday spoke out against Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, writing on social media that she is “no hero to be celebrated.”
Takei’s remarks were in response to the rally held after Davis’ release from a detention center in the state a day earlier. Republican presidential hopeful Gov. Mike Huckabee and Davis’ lawyer stood by her side on stage as “Eye of the Tiger” was blasted to the crowd.
“Well this is a bit of a circus,” Takei wrote in a Facebook post. “So let us be clear: This woman is no hero to be celebrated. She broke her oath to uphold the Constitution and defied a court order so she could deny government services to couples who are legally entitled to be married.”
Related: George Takei apologizes for calling Clarence Thomas ‘clown in blackface’
Takei continued that while Davis is entitled to her religious beliefs, she is not entitled to impose those beliefs on others.
“If she had denied marriage certificates to an interracial couple, would people cheer her? Would presidential candidates flock to her side? In our society, we obey civil laws, not religious ones. To suggest otherwise is, simply put, entirely un-American,” Takei wrote.
Well this is a bit of a circus. So let us be clear: This woman is no hero to be celebrated. She broke her oath to uphold…
Posted by George Takei on Tuesday, September 8, 2015
This post comes on the heels of outpouring support for Davis from 2016 GOP presidential candidates Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, and Bobby Jindal.
Huckabee’s campaign reportedly organized the rally for Davis, and Huckabee said he would be willing to go to jail for the Kentucky clerk.
“I’m tired of seeing people just harassed because they believe something of their faith,” Huckabee said to reporters at the Tuesday rally. “We cannot criminalize Christian faith or anybody’s faith in this country.”
Davis spent five days in jail after she refused — on religious beliefs — to comply with a federal order that she issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
Cruz thanked God after Davis’ release was announced, tweeting that it was “Outrageous she was jailed 6 days for living according to her Christian faith.”
Praise God Kim Davis is being released. Outrageous she was jailed 6 days for living according to her Christian faith https://t.co/Ev47wkemvD Santorum also tweeted support for Davis, saying “we should not have to choose between keeping our job and practicing our faith.” Santorum called Davis heroic in a CNN interview and compared Davis to Martin Luther King Jr. last week on a radio show. “You know Martin Luther King went to jail because he didn’t follow the law,” he said. “There’s a long precedent in America from people saying, ‘you know the law has to change to accommodate what is the right thing to do, in their own moral judgment.’” Related: What’s next for Kim Davis The right thing for Santorum is to pass a “First Amendment Defense Act” that would accommodate “people who have very strong religious beliefs that are antithetical to the ‘new law’ of the country,” essentially allowing them to ignore the law. Jindal defended Davis’ right to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples, telling the Huffington Post he doesn’t “think anyone should have to choose between following their conscience and religious beliefs and giving up their job and facing financial sanctions.” Other republicans, including Donald Trump, John Kasich and Chris Christie, say that as a government employee who is required to follow federal law, Davis should issue the licenses. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and Rand Paul have not committed one way or the other.
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