Donald Trump's same-sex marriage views explained as ruling that legalised it comes under threat
As the Supreme Court debates whether to intervene in a case that could see the legalisation of same-sex marriage be overturned, spectators have wondered what Donald Trump would likely say on the matter.
For those unfamiliar with the legal controversy, a hoard of high-profile judges have been asked to take on the case of Kim Davis.
Kim Davis' appeal explained
In 2015, the former county clerk was jailed for six days after refusing to issue a marriage license to a gay couple. The Kentucky local claimed she'd decided on the grounds of religion.
Now, not only is Davis suing for $100,000 and emotional damages, but she's also seeking an extra $260,000 to cover her legal fees.
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In a recently filed petition, she cited the First Amendment in her defence, claiming this should have both allowed her to freely exercise her religion and immunised her from personal liability in the case.
Simultaneously, the documents also hear Davis describe the High Court's ruling in the Obergefell v Hodges case - which guaranteed homosexual couples the fundamental right to marriage - as 'egregiously wrong'.
As mentioned, therefore, if the Supreme Court agrees to take on her appeal, judges will be forced to do so in its entirety. As such, the decision has the potential to see the landmark legalisation of same-sex marriage overturned in the States.
Naturally, the unprecedented anti-LBGTQ+ request has appalled thousands of Americans, who are desperately hoping that the Supreme Court will reject the case.
Given that the entire country is currently being governed by a man whose LGBTQ+ views are almost as controversial as Davis', however, many are rapidly losing hope for Presidential intervention.
Donald Trump's views on same-sex marriage
The Republican leader's personal views on LGBTQ+ rights have varied greatly over time.
Back in 2000, during an interview with The Advocate, Trump publicly supported the idea of domestic partnerships being put into place for homosexual couples who wished to wed - a view which, at the time, was rare for right-leaning voters.
But 11 years later, he told Fox News that he was not 'in favour of gay marriage'. And in 2015, he elaborated on this, telling CNN he supports 'traditional marriages' instead.
Prior to his first election the following year, however, Trump seemed to backtrack slightly, claiming in a 60 Minutes interview he was 'fine' with same-sex marriage.
At the time, this directly went against the general Republican opposition of the Obergefell v Hodges ruling made the year prior.
It didn't take long for this view to change once again, however, and once he'd settled into his new White House role, he hired a number of officials who had long campaigned against same-sex marriage, like Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, as per GLAAD.
And whilst appealing last year for his second term in the Oval Office, Trump's staff removed any explicit reference to homosexual marriage from their campaign.
Instead, they promoted the message that 'Republicans will promote a Culture that values the Sanctity of Marriage, the blessings of childhood, the foundational role of families, and supports working parents'.
With regards to whether he'll intervene in the potential Supreme Court's ruling, however, his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was also asked by NBC last year if the candidate had plans to roll back same-sex marriage.
She responded at the time: "That was never a campaign promise that he made."
The President's other LGBTQ+ views
Alongside his ever-changing stance on gay marriage, Trump does harbour some more extreme right-wing views on the LGBTQ+ community.
As well as signing executive orders aimed at banning transgender individuals from both serving in the military and from competing in women's sports, the politician has also limited passports to only recognise the gender someone was assigned at birth.
On top of this, since his inauguration, he's also made federal budget cuts that have seen both specialised services for LGBTQ+ youth and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline being shut down.
Topics: Donald Trump, LGBTQ, US News, Politics, News
Rhianna Benson