Former "Star Trek" actor George Takei, an outspoken LGBQT advocate, cautioned people from celebrating Kentucky clerk Kim Davis for refusing marriage licenses from same-sex couples, comparing her conduct to that of racial segregationists.
"If she had denied marriage certificates to an interracial couple, would people cheer her?" Takei
asked in a public Facebook post on Tuesday.
"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. She is entitled to hold her religious beliefs, but not to impose those beliefs on others."
Takei included in his post a news segment of Davis being released from jail on Tuesday, after she'd spent a week there for contempt of court. Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee joined Davis in a press conference and rally that same day.
In a Wednesday interview with Newsmax, Huckabee doubled down on his support for Davis, saying that he's "ready to go to jail" if the court attempts to put Davis behind bars once more.
In a follow up comment on Facebook, Takei dove into the details of his argument, citing two clauses in the First Amendment: the Establishment Clause and the Prohibition Clause.
"Congress may not prohibit free worship, and that is what so many claim, wrongly, is being violated," wrote Takei.
"Permitting a state employee to foist her religion upon others, denying them a fundamental right as articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell, would be to give government, through this agent, the power to impose religious doctrine and viewpoint. That it cannot do. Ms. Davis is in effect establishing religion by using her governmental powers to impose her religious views."
Along with Huckabee, Sen. Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have all come out in support of Davis. Donald Trump, John Kasich, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have said Davis broke the law by refusing to issue the licenses. Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, and Rand Paul have not weighed in on the issue, MSNBC reported.
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