Phil Burress, a born-again Christian who led the successful campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Ohio only to see it overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, will retire as president of Citizens for Community Values.

Phil Burress, a born-again Christian who led the successful campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Ohio only to see it overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, will retire as president of Citizens for Community Values.

Burress will be replaced by Aaron Baer, an Ohio native and policy adviser to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

"It's time to move on," Burress said in an interview. "I'm 74 and in great health. About a year and half ago, after praying about it, my wife and I decided this was the right thing to do." He said he plans to spend time with family, including 14 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Burress will remain on as president of the Cincinnati-based Christian organization until after the November presidential election.

He stressed that his departure is "not about the fact I lost the fight" to ban same-sex marriage. Burress and his organization were in the forefront of the 2004 campaign to pass a constitutional amendment blocking the marriage of same-sex couples in Ohio. However, in June last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Ohio ban, legalizing same-sex marriage nationally.

Burress, who admits to once being addicted to pornography, began volunteering with Citizens for Community Values 33 years ago before joining the board of directors and becoming president of the organization in 1991.

He said the group also helped people struggling with addiction to pornography, caught in human trafficking and to "walk away from homosexuality."

Baer, a native of Warren, is a 2009 graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. He and his wife, Maria, and newborn daughter, Naomi, will move to Ohio in September.

ajohnson@dispatch.com

@ohioaj