Jim Obergefell on historic gay marriage ruling
Jim Obergefell finally feels like a “real, equal American.”
Obergefell was lead plaintiff in the historic Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that on Friday legalized same sex marriage in the United States. He spoke to Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric ahead of the decision, and again Friday amid celebrations outside the Supreme Court.
As the ruling was read aloud, “about two sentences in I started to cry and I cried the whole time,” he said.
Obergefell filed his suit after learning his name could not appear on the death certificate of his husband John Arthur, who died of ALS in 2013. The couple traveled to Maryland to get married in the last months of Arthur’s life, as their home state of Ohio did not recognize same-sex marriage.
“It was an incredible experience to hear a Supreme Court justice talk about how my marriage, my relationship, how John and I matter. How we deserve respect and dignity and I started to feel a lot more like a full, equal American at that moment,” he said.
