Brian Brown, president of the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), on Monday criticized a federal
appeals court's ruling invalidating Virginia's ban on gay marriage.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in
Richmond said the ban was unconstitutional.
(Related: Appeals
court strikes down Virginia's gay marriage ban.)
Brown said the decision ignores “the
reality of what marriage is.”
“We are extremely disappointed,
though not surprised, with today's ruling from the 4th Circuit Court
of Appeals invalidating the definition of marriage in Virginia,”
Brown said in a blog post. “It is a terrible abuse of power for a
court to abandon the definition of marriage which has existed
throughout the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia, was adopted
by the people and reflects in law the reality of what marriage is,
the union of one man and one woman.”
Brown also applauded Circuit Judge Paul
Niemeyer's dissent.
"While we condemn the ruling of
the majority, we are pleased with the strong dissent authored by
Justice Paul Niemeyer who noted that the 'linguistic manipulation' of
case law employed by the majority to create a 'fundamental right' to
same-sex marriage will also result in 'the right of a father to marry
his daughter and the right of any person to marry multiple
partners.'”
“Justice Niemeyer's dissent lays bare
what the majority has done – they have invented a right to redefine
marriage because two justices have substituted their views for the
considered opinion of the General Assembly and the voters of the
Commonwealth.”
"We call on the state to appeal
this decision to the US Supreme Court and to vigorously fight for the
truth of marriage and the right of the people and the elected
representatives of the state to define marriage in law consistent
with what it is in reality – the union of one man and one woman.”