West Virginia: Deputy Clerk Yells at Lesbians Seeking Marriage License // Calls Them Abominations and Tells Them that God Will Judge Them

Yet another story of Christian public service workers who made sure to take pleasure in the tears of gay people went public today in a story coming out of Glenville, West Virginia. A lesbian couple went with their parents to the Gilmer County Courthouse last week to apply for marriage licenses. They received their marriage license, but they also got yelled at and called an abomination by the deputy clerk -- and the deputy clerk's boss and co-worker weren't terribly upset or embarrassed by the woman's behavior!:

Debbie Allen, the deputy clerk who processed their marriage license, and another deputy clerk who was there, Angela Moore, disputed some of the allegations from the couple and Brookover’s mother, Jill Goff, who also was there. They disagree on how loud Allen was and whether the word “abomination” was used, although Moore said she couldn’t hear everything. 

“I was working on what I was supposed to be doing and, honestly, I didn’t care to make eye contact with them,” Moore said. 

The clerks don’t dispute that Allen told the couple that what they were doing was wrong and that they would be judged, but they also stressed that they did not view the statement as an “attack.” 

“We did not attack them,” Allen said. “We did not yell at them. We were not aggressive with them. I felt I talked nicely to them.” 

Samantha Brookover and Amanda Abramovich, though, say Allen huffed, took their driver’s licenses, made copies, slammed down the copies and then, for two to three minutes, yelled that what they were doing was wrong in her eyes and in God’s eyes and that no one in Gilmer County would ever marry them. 

The couple had brought family members. They had the camera ready. It was supposed to be a happy day. Instead, in Brookover’s words, they were “flabbergasted and hurt and angry like you wouldn’t believe.” 

Allen said she briefly and calmly told the couple what they were doing was wrong and that God would judge them, and then continued assisting them as she would other couples. 

“I just told them my opinion,” she said. “I just felt led to do that. I believe God was standing with me and that’s just my religious belief.”

Let's pause here for a moment. What a bunch of passive-aggressive claptrap! Let's assume that she didn't yell or slam documents around and that she just calmly told the women that God would judge them and that they were an abomination. Why? What was the point other than to ruin their day and to insult some of the citizens who pay her salary?

Obviously, Allen knew that the women were upset by her words and actions. But really doesn't care:

Asked if her words could possibly have been perceived as an attack to someone of another sexual orientation, who has been belittled because of it, Allen said, “Oh, I’m sure.”

She wouldn’t say how she might treat any same-sex couples that arrive at the clerk’s office in the future.

Allen's boss is no better:

Goff had a phone conversation with Gilmer County Clerk Jean Butcher about the incident. Butcher said she told Goff that her religious beliefs are similar to Moore’s. 

“They were issued the license, and that was the main thing,” Butcher told the Gazette-Mail.

Which is true. The women received their marriage licenses.

But who'd have ever thought that a group of white, middle-aged public employees could treat taxpaying citizens so horribly and not be at all concerned?