A Tennessee judge has ruled that a gay
couple cannot divorce in the state because their marriage is not
recognized by Tennessee.
Frederick Michael Borman and Larry
Kevin Pyles-Borman married in Iowa four years ago and later moved to
Roane County, Tennessee, the Knoxville
News Sentinel reported.
Less than a year into the marriage, the
men separated and Frederick filed for divorce in March.
Roane County Circuit Judge Russell E.
Simmons upheld the state's ban, saying it does not violate the U.S.
Constitution.
“The battle is not between whether or
not marriage is a fundamental right but what unions are included in
the definition of marriage,” Simmons wrote.
Tennessee, Simmons said, has the right
to define marriage.
The Tennessee attorney general's office
said it was gratified by the ruling.
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court
heard arguments in a challenge to Tennessee's marriage ban.