In 2015, Kim Davis, the county clerk of Rowan County in Kentucky, refused to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples after the United States Supreme Court ruled that such unions were constitutionally protected. Her refusal placed her in direct conflict with the law and turned a small county office into the centre of a national debate.
Davis argued that authorising same-sex marriages would violate her Christian beliefs. The decision led to legal action, her brief imprisonment, and widespread public scrutiny. Supporters hailed her as a defender of religious liberty, while critics accused her of denying equal rights.
