Iași, Romania, October 12, 2017
Photo: media.graytvinc.com As reported yesterday, Kim Davis, the Kentucky country clerk who refused to sign same-sex marriage licenses in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015, is currently on a speaking tour in Romania, sharing her experiences in the battles surrounding same-sex marriage and freedom of religion in America, to encourage Romanians who are awaiting the fate of a petition 3 million Romanians strong that calls for a constitutional definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Davis was represented by the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, whose vice president of legal affairs and chief litigation counsel Harry Mihet is a native Romanian. Together they are holding conferences in Romania's largest cities, including Bucharest, Cluj, Sibiu, Timisoara and Iasi, and have already met with two Orthodox archbishops and a number of public officials.
Romanian Orthodox news site doxologia.ro has reported on Davis’ activities in the Orthodox country, presenting a portion of her conference from Iași. In the video, Davis speaks of how she spent her time in jail and encourages Romanians to take a stance, saying, “You need to be proactive to take care of your constitution and get the amendment in there.”
“I want you all to understand that you can have differing opinions and still hold high respect for individuals,” she told the crowd in Iași. Addressing the youth of Romania, she exhorts, “Do not let fear rob you of the blessings.”
Mihet has stated that Davis’ story resonates with Romanians, who “are receiving her tearfully and very warmly, because they can still remember the not-so-long-ago days when they were themselves persecuted and imprisoned for their conscience.”
