Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a video of Jim Obergefell, who’s lived in Ohio for nearly five decades, asking candidates to defend his marriage and those of countless same-sex couples across the country, in advance of tonight’s debate in Cleveland.
Obergefell was the named plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, that led to nationwide marriage equality in June. When the Windsor decision came out in June of 2013, Obergefell and his partner of 20 years, John Arthur, decided to get married. But Arthur, who suffered from ALS, was in hospice care and confined to a hospital bed, so the pair was forced to take a medically-equipped plane to Maryland–where same-sex marriage was legal–to do so.
As same-sex marriages were not recognized in Ohio, Obergefell filed a case in July 2013, seeking recognition of their Maryland marriage on Arthur’s death certificate.
“When I look at my wedding ring, I see the honesty, trust and love I shared with my husband. And looking ahead, I need to know: do the presidential candidates see the same thing, or do they see an opportunity to drive us apart?” said Obergefell. “What will my marriage mean in 2016 and beyond if a candidate who opposes marriage equality wins the White House?”
