A county clerk in Arkansas has resigned
rather than issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Cleburne County Clerk Dana Guffey
tendered her resignation on Monday, just days after the Supreme Court
said that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry in all 50
states.
According to the AP, Guffey's office
had yet to receive a request for a marriage license from a gay couple
as of Monday afternoon.
“It is definitely a moral conviction
for me,” Guffey said. “I didn't announce anything publicly or on
social media or anything because I didn't want my decision to be seen
as hateful. I know some people will look at it like that, but this
wasn't easy. It wasn't a decision I made lightly. And I do not hate
anybody.”
Guffey has held the elected office for
more than 24 years.
“My office mates understand,” she
added. “They're not judging me, the same as I'm not judging anyone
else who issues the licenses. It's my conviction, though.”