The Tennessee Equality Project condemns the Sullivan County Commission's swift passage of a resolution opposed to marriage equality this morning.  The resolution passed with 20 yes votes, 1 no vote and 2 abstentions.

The resolution had not been filed as of Friday afternoon.  It never appeared online in any Sullivan County Government documents posted on the County's website. 

In a questionable move, the rules were suspended at today's meeting so that a vote could take place with little public input.

We are grateful that Bristol resident and former TEP Tri-Cities Committee chair Joe Rhymer could be present to speak against the resolution.

That does not change the fact that the Sullivan County Commission has done a great disservice to the public in denying a full consideration of the issues presented in the resolution.  Instead the Commission has rushed the county into encouraging our State Legislature to engage in a lawless, expensive fool's errand of defying the Supreme Court of the United States.

For more information, contact Chris Sanders at [email protected] or 615-390-5252.