Kim Davis Denied This Gay Man A Marriage License, And Now He May Run Against Her

Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk whose steadfast opposition to same-sex marriage made her a darling of Christian conservatives, may draw a re-election opponent next year that again puts her in the national spotlight.

The Associated Press reports that David Ermold, a gay man denied a marriage license by Davis in June 2015, is “seriously considering” a run for Rowan County clerk. Davis, for her part, already has announced plans to seek another term.

Davis sparked a media firestorm when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality ruling. Footage of Ermold and his now-husband, David Moore, engaging in a heated exchange with Davis at a Rowan County municipal office was featured in national news reports as the controversy unfolded.

David Ermold (left) and his husband, David Moore (center), were among the couples who were denied marriage licenses by Kim Davis in 2015. (Photo: Lexington Herald-Leader via Getty Images)
David Ermold (left) and his husband, David Moore (center), were among the couples who were denied marriage licenses by Kim Davis in 2015. (Photo: Lexington Herald-Leader via Getty Images)

Ermold hinted at his campaign plans on Twitter Nov. 10, stressing that he needed “to get a few things in order” before a formal announcement could be made.

He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost.

Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver, who represented Davis during the battle over the marriage licenses, told AP his client “doesn’t have any major concerns” about the 2018 election. “She loves her job and she loves the people,” he said.

Davis was briefly jailed for contempt of court over her refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses. She was released under the condition that she not interfere with the issuance of the licenses by deputy county clerks.

Having spent much of 2017 out of the public eye, Davis made waves in October when she accompanied the Liberty Counsel’s Harry Mihet on a nine-day trip to Romania with the aim of encouraging that nation’s lawmakers to adopt legislation against same-sex marriage.

Mihet, who is a Romanian native, and Davis reportedly held conferences in several cities in an effort to persuade local politicians to support amending the country’s constitutional definition of family, which would, in turn, rule out the possibility of legalizing same-sex marriage. A national referendum on that proposal is expected before year’s end.

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Vice-President Elect Mike Pence

During his time as governor of Indiana, Pence&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/indiana-governor-mike-pence-anti-gay-bill_n_6947472.html" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:22,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;indiana-governor-mike-pence-anti-gay-bill_n_6947472.html&quot;}}">supported LGBTQ discrimination</a> under the banner of religious freedom and laid the groundwork for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-pence-indiana-hiv_us_57f53b9be4b002a7312022ef" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:23,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us_57f53b9be4b002a7312022ef&quot;}}">a massive HIV outbreak</a> in his state by slashing public health funding and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/08/us/politics/mike-pence-needle-exchanges-indiana.html" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:24,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us/politics/mike-pence-needle-exchanges-indiana.html&quot;}}">opposing needle exchange efforts</a>, believing that they promoted drug use.&nbsp;<br /><br />There's no telling just yet what "<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/will-mike-pence-be-the-most-powerful-vice-president-ever/" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:8,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.cbsnews.com/news/will-mike-pence-be-the-most-powerful-vice-president-ever/&quot;}}">the most powerful vice president ever</a>&rdquo; will do in terms of rolling back or slowing progress of LGBTQ rights, but the outlook is certainly not good.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-pence-assault-lgbtq-equality_us_58275a17e4b02d21bbc8ff9b">Read more here</a>.

Pat McCrory

The North Carolina governor sparked an international debate over transgender rights when he signed his state's controversial <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/house-bill-2/">House Bill 2</a>, or HB 2, into law in March.&nbsp;<br /><br />The bill, which <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/21/politics/north-carolina-bathroom-bill-hb2/index.html" target="_blank">failed to be fully repealed</a>&nbsp;in December, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/north-carolina-transgender-tweet_us_56f3f787e4b04c4c3761652b">effectively bars</a> trans people from using restrooms which best correspond with their gender identity.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pat-mccrory-hb2-north-carolina_us_5811213ee4b0990edc2f0cad">Fallout from businesses</a> was massive, while a number of high-profile concert acts <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bruce-springsteen-north-carolina_us_5707f503e4b04bf520ff674a">nixed planned performances</a> in the state. While McCrory lost in his re-election bid in November, there's heavy speculation that he could <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article120638148.html" target="_blank">receive a high-profile post</a> as part of the Trump administration. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/north-carolina-anti-lgbt-bathroom-law-governor-pat-mccrory_b_9777480.html">Read more here</a>. &nbsp;

Manny Pacquiao

The boxing champion-turned-lawmaker&nbsp;sent <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/manny-pacquiao-sorry-calling-gay-lgbt-people-worse-than-animals/" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:2,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.cbsnews.com/news/manny-pacquiao-sorry-calling-gay-lgbt-people-worse-than-animals/&quot;}}">shockwaves</a> through his native Philippines in February after claiming that gay people are &ldquo;<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/feb/16/manny-pacquiao-gay-people-worse-than-animals" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:3,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/feb/16/manny-pacquiao-gay-people-worse-than-animals&quot;}}">worse than animals</a>.&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?&nbsp;The animals are better,&rdquo; Pacquiao, who is a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/04/manny-pacquiao-chris-algieri-floyd-mayweather" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:5,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/04/manny-pacquiao-chris-algieri-floyd-mayweather&quot;}}">conservative Christian</a>, said in an interview. &ldquo;If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals.&rdquo;<br /><br />Pacquiao <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/manny-pacquiao-gay-apology_us_56c34129e4b08ffac12679f8">later apologized</a> for the remarks in a series of Instagram posts, but has <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/manny-pacquiao-anti-gay-mistake_us_57d2c948e4b06a74c9f433ab">remained steadfast</a> in his opposition to marriage equality.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/manny-pacquiao-gay-apology_us_56c34129e4b08ffac12679f8">Read more here</a>.&nbsp;

Donald Trump

There's no telling what the president-elect REALLY thinks about the LGBTQ community, which arguably makes him the most terrifying political figure on the list. <br /><br />At different points throughout his campaign, Trump <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/heres-exactly-why-a-vote-for-trump-is-vote-against-lgbtq-rights_us_58110a32e4b0390e69cdface" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:4,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us_58110a32e4b0390e69cdface&quot;}}">says he opposes same-sex marriage</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-marriage-equality_us_56af63c8e4b00b033aafb496" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:5,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us_56af63c8e4b00b033aafb496&quot;}}">would &ldquo;strongly consider&rdquo;</a> appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn the landmark decision legalizing it. After winning the election, however, he suggested he was "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-same-sex-marriage_us_5829c604e4b02d21bbc97d2a">fine with</a>" same-sex marriage.<br /><br />He's also<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-north-carolina-bathroom-bill_us_571a50c5e4b0d912d5fe6dc1"> flip-flopped</a> on the issue of whether or not transgender people <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-hb2-lgbt_us_577d4443e4b09b4c43c1e90d">should be allowed</a> to use the public restrooms which best align with their gender identity.&nbsp;<br /><br />Actions, of course, speak louder than words, and by selecting <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-pence-assault-lgbtq-equality_us_58275a17e4b02d21bbc8ff9b">Mike Pence</a> as his running mate and tapping some of the nation's <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/11/so-far-every-member-of-trumps-cabinet-opposes-lgbt-rights.html" target="_blank">most anti-LGBTQ politicians</a> for his cabinet, its clear Trump <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/09/will-trump-put-lgbtq-equality-in-peril.html" target="_blank">does not have</a> the queer community's best interests at heart.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-pence-assault-lgbtq-equality_us_58275a17e4b02d21bbc8ff9b">Read more here</a>.&nbsp;

Stacey Dash

The conservative "Clueless" star turned out to be, well, just plain clueless this year. While promoting her new book,&nbsp;<i>There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative, </i>in June, Dash took aim at <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/caitlyn-jenner-bathroom-break_us_5722242ee4b0f309baefe3da">Caitlyn Jenner</a> for wanting to use the women&rsquo;s restroom.&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tyranny by the minority,&rdquo; Dash said referring to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kicker/these-are-the-transgender_b_9752266.html" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:4,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kicker/these-are-the-transgender_b_9752266.html&quot;}}">the political battle over trans rights</a>. &ldquo;Why do I have to suffer because you can&rsquo;t decide what you wanna be that day? It&rsquo;s your body! So, it&rsquo;s your decision, right? We all make choices.&rdquo;<br /><br />When it was pointed out that transgender people wouldn&rsquo;t classify their gender identity as a &ldquo;choice,&rdquo; Dash wasn&rsquo;t having it. &ldquo;OK, then go [to the bathroom] in the bushes,&rdquo; she fired back. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what to tell you, but I&rsquo;m not gonna put my child&rsquo;s life at risk because you want to change a law. So that you can be comfortable with your beliefs &mdash; which means I have to change my beliefs and my rights? No.&rdquo;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stacey-dash-transgender-bathrooms_us_57502a53e4b0c3752dcc8848">Read more here</a>.

Phil Bryant

The Mississippi governor&nbsp;faced a backlash in April when he signed his state&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mississippi-religious-freedom-bill_us_5703f13ce4b083f5c6090dfb" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:1,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us_5703f13ce4b083f5c6090dfb&quot;}}">radical anti-LGBT bill</a> into law.&nbsp;<br /><br />House Bill 1523 allows people with religious objections to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mississippi-religious-freedom-bill_us_5703f13ce4b083f5c6090dfb">deny wedding services</a> to same-sex couples, and clears the way for employers to cite religion in determining workplace policies.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/phil-bryant-anti-lgbt-law_us_574f15cce4b0c3752dcc26a4">Republican&nbsp;lawmaker slammed</a>&nbsp;the pushback he received from the &ldquo;secular, progressive world&rdquo; after he signed the bill, and compared much of the criticism he&rsquo;d received over House Bill 1523 to the various ways that &ldquo;Christians have been persecuted throughout the ages.&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t know that if it takes crucifixion, we will stand in line before abandoning our faith and our belief in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So if we are going to stand, now is the time and this is the place.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/phil-bryant-anti-lgbt-law_us_574f15cce4b0c3752dcc26a4">Read more here</a>.

Jeff Landry

The Louisiana attorney general may have an <a href="http://www.fox8live.com/story/33764811/attorney-generals-brother-takes-a-stand-on-lgbt-equality" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:1,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.fox8live.com/story/33764811/attorney-generals-brother-takes-a-stand-on-lgbt-equality&quot;}}">openly gay brother</a>, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean he&rsquo;s on board with protecting members of the LGBTQ community in the workplace.&nbsp;<br /><br />In December, the Republican&nbsp;applauded a state judge&rsquo;s decision to toss out <a href="http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/12/louisiana_lgbt_order.html" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:4,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/12/louisiana_lgbt_order.html&quot;}}">an executive order </a>issued by Louisiana Gov. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/john-bel-edwards/" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:5,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/john-bel-edwards/&quot;}}">John Bel Edwards</a>, which had <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-governor-john-bel-edwards-lgbt-rights-order-judge/" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:6,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-governor-john-bel-edwards-lgbt-rights-order-judge/&quot;}}">aimed to prevent discrimination</a> based on sexual orientation and gender identity in state jobs.&nbsp;<br /><br />When Landry was&nbsp;asked about his brother, <a href="http://www.landryforlouisianaequality.com/" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:10,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.landryforlouisianaequality.com/&quot;}}">Nicholas</a>, who is openly gay, he said the siblings had discussed their respective stances on LGBTQ equality. <br /><br />&ldquo;Look, I love my brother. That&rsquo;s unquestionable... [But] we have to respect the law," he said. "We have to respect the Constitution.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nicholas-landry-louisiana-gay-brother_us_58540f0ee4b08debb7888e99">Read more here</a>.&nbsp;

Susan Olsen

The former child star who played Cindy Brady on &ldquo;The Brady Bunch&rdquo; made headlines in December when she&nbsp;unleashed a homophobic, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/susan-olsen-homophobic-rant-talk-show_us_584c749be4b0bd9c3dfd1fb3">slur-filled rant</a> against one of her critics.<br /><br />After actor&nbsp;Leon Acord accused her of spreading "misinformation" on a radio show she co-hosted, Olsen allegedly <a href="http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/12/11/susan-olsen-homophobic-rant-fired-la-talk-radio-brady-bunch-actor/" target="_blank">blasted him</a> as a &ldquo;pussy&rdquo; and the &ldquo;biggest faggot a** in the world&rdquo; in a Dec. 7 Facebook message. Days later, it was announced that LA Talk Radio had severed its ties with Olsen because of&nbsp;&ldquo;hateful speech." Olsen would later argue that the controversy stemmed from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cindy-brady-homophobic-response_us_5857fa42e4b08debb789e90e">her outspoken support</a> of President-elect Donald Trump.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cindy-brady-homophobic-response_us_5857fa42e4b08debb789e90e">Read more here</a>.

Brian Brown

The president of National Organization for Marriage (NOM) vowed to ramp up his fight against the LGBTQ community this year. In early December,&nbsp;Brown announced the launch of the <a href="http://www.nomblog.com/41207/" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:4,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http://www.nomblog.com/41207/&quot;}}">International Organization for the Family</a>, or IOF, which aims to &ldquo;take the global fight to preserve and protect marriage to a whole new level.&rdquo; <br /><br />Calling IOF a &ldquo;great development for the international pro-family movement,&rdquo; he said the group &ldquo;is assembling a coalition of allies to take the worldwide lead in fighting for marriage, religious liberty, parental rights, the truth of gender and other issues.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/international-organization-for-the-family_us_584f0c76e4b0bd9c3dfe17fd">Read more here</a>.&nbsp;

ATLAH World Missionary Church

The church, based in New York's Harlem neighborhood, has <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/james-david-manning-starbucks-semen_us_55c23b00e4b0f7f0bebb2fb8">a long-standing reputation</a> for being outspoken in its opposition to the LGBTQ community.<br /><br />This year, however, it looked like the ATLAH World Missionary Church <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/atlah-church-lgbt-fundraiser_us_56aba730e4b00b033aaee6f5">might be</a> finally getting its comeuppance when the <a href="http://www.aliforneycenter.org/" target="_blank">Ali Forney Center</a>, a homeless LGBTQ youth advocacy group, launched <a href="http://aliforneycenter.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&amp;eventID=531" target="_blank">an online fundraiser</a> hoping to repurpose the church as housing for its clients. The building was reportedly <a href="https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160128/central-harlem/homophobic-pastors-harlem-church-up-for-public-auction-over-unpaid-debts" target="_blank">due to be sold</a> at a foreclosure auction.&nbsp;<br /><br />Sadly, though, the foreclosure attempt has since been <a href="https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160901/central-harlem/controversial-atlah-church-avoids-foreclosure-once-again" target="_blank">thwarted</a>, at least for now. That meant Pastor&nbsp;James David Manning went <a href="http://www.newnownext.com/james-david-manning-cancer-butthole/09/2016/" target="_blank">right back</a> to his homophobic sermons as if nothing had happened.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/atlah-church-lgbt-fundraiser_us_56aba730e4b00b033aaee6f5">Read more here</a>.

Kim Davis

The Kentucky county clerk became <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-huckabee-kim-davis-slavery_us_55ec61c4e4b03784e2761cb6">a darling for the religious right</a> in 2015 when she<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kim-davis-pope_us_560b8eeee4b0768126ffd324"> refused to issue marriage licenses</a> to same-sex couples in the wake of the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/26/supreme-court-gay-marriage_n_7470036.html">Supreme Court's historic ruling</a> on marriage equality. &nbsp;<br /><br />Thankfully, Davis spent much of 2016 out of the public eye, but when she did appear, it was merely to reiterate her opposition to LGBTQ rights.&nbsp;<br /><br />In September,&nbsp;the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky <a href="https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/miller-v-davis-motion-award-attorneys-fees-and-costs" target="_blank" data-beacon="{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:6,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/miller-v-davis-motion-award-attorneys-fees-and-costs&quot;}}">filed a motion in federal court</a> asking for $233,058 to cover attorney&rsquo;s fees and other legal expenses incurred during the lawsuit it brought last year <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kim-davis-federal-motion_us_57e2faefe4b08d73b82f5a4d">on behalf of four couples</a> when Davis was refusing to issue marriage licenses.&nbsp;Of course, Davis&rsquo;s lawyers urged U.S. District Judge David Bunning to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kim-davis-legal-fees_us_581a5a11e4b08f9841ad12b5">deny the ACLU&rsquo;s motion</a>.&nbsp;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kim-davis-legal-fees_us_581a5a11e4b08f9841ad12b5">Read more here</a>.&nbsp;<br />

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.