The gay marriage debate and the fallout following the landmark Supreme Court decision earlier this summer appears to have escalated to a new level of vitriol this week after the jailing of a local county clerk.
Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis was ordered Thursday by a District Court judge to be detained by her own deputies and expedited to county jail for her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Citing her religious convictions against the practice, Davis willingly submitted to the arrest but defiantly refused to authorize her deputy clerks to issue licenses in her absence.
Supporters of Davis argued to the throng of media outside the courthouse that the incident marks the first time in American history someone has been jailed for their belief in heterosexual, monogamous marriage.
