GOP leaders in Virginia censured a freshman Republican lawmaker shortly after he officiated a same-sex wedding.

Denver Riggleman, a conservative United States Republican from the state's 5th congressional district, has been accused of "abandoning party principles" by the Rappahannock County Republican Party because of his fiscal spending and immigration policies, according to The Hill. However, spokespeople for Riggleman insist that the formal GOP censure is actually a means of "punishing" the House newbie for officiating a same-sex wedding in Virginia earlier this summer.

Denver Riggleman.

"This censure in Rappahannock is part of an ongoing effort to punish Denver Riggleman for his recent officiation of a same-sex wedding," Riggleman's representative Joe Chelak told The Hill. "Denver Riggleman has an excellent conservative voting record that has brought jobs back to the 5th district."

As NewNowNext previously reported, the Cumberland County Republican Committee in Virginia also spoke out against Riggleman in August, unanimously casting a motion of no confidence in the lawmaker, who was elected into office in 2018.

The ceremony in question involved two of his supporters: Anthony LeCounte and Alex Pisciarino, a gay couple who promised guests at their July 14 Kentucky Derby–themed affair a "fabulous gay summer wedding."

Marriage equality has been legal in the U.S. since 2015, when the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that set a new precedent for same-sex couples hoping to tie the knot nationwide.

While the 49-year-old lawmaker did officiate the ceremony for two gay supporters, he's not pro-LGBTQ equality in every regard. For one thing, he's against the Equality Act, which would guarantee nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans on the federal level. His track record also includes voting in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood, and in opposition to a temporary ban that had stalled Trump's infamous trans military ban from moving forward.