Brian Brown, president of the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), on Tuesday praised the judge who
last week upheld Tennessee's gay marriage ban.
Roane County Circuit Judge Russell E.
Simmons upheld the state's ban in a case that involved two men who
are seeking a divorce, saying it does not violate the U.S.
Constitution.
“Neither the Federal Government nor
another state should be allowed to dictate to Tennessee what has
traditionally been a state's responsibility,” Simmons wrote.
“It is refreshing to find a judge who
is willing to apply the federal constitution as it is and not
reinterpret the constitution so as to redefine marriage,” said
Brown in blog post. “Judge Russell Simmons is exactly correct when
he says that there is nothing about the US Supreme Court's Windsor
decision that would invalidate the right of Tennessee voters to
define marriage as one man and one woman or require the state to
recognize a same-sex ceremony performed in another state.”
The case involves Frederick Michael
Borman and Larry Kevin Pyles-Borman who married in Iowa four years
ago and later moved to Roane County, Tennessee.
Less than a year into the marriage, the
men separated and Frederick filed for divorce in March.
The case is the first court loss for
marriage equality supporters since the Supreme Court struck down a
key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) last year.
Brown also accused the media of
ignoring the ruling.
“This important decision has largely
been ignored in the media because it undercuts the narrative that
same-sex marriage is inevitable. But it isn't,” he said. “NOM
is confident that when this issue reaches the US Supreme Court,
likely within a few months, that the constitutionality of marriage
amendments and statutes defining marriage as one man and one woman
will be upheld.”