Virginia Del. Bob Marshall, defending his push to keep a gay prosecutor from a state judgeship, said Thursday that "sodomy is not a civil right." Speaking on CNN, Marshall, a Manassas Republican running for U.S. Senate, said that Richmond Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland was not fit for an appointment to the 13th General District Court because he was an "activist" for gay rights whose same-sex relationship was in conflict with the state constitution's designation of marriage as being between a man and a woman. "Sodomy is not a civil right," Marshall said. "It's not the same as the civil rights movement." -- Steve Contorno