 |
| Jim and Late John |
In 2013, Jim Obergefell and John Arthur were watching TV news about the Supreme Court striking down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law. Obergefell leaned over, kissed the man he had loved for more than two decades, and said, 'Let's get married.'They knew they didn't have much time. Arthur was in the final stages of Lou Gehrig's disease.
Ohio voters had banned same-sex marriage. So within weeks, a medically equipped plane carried them to Maryland, where Arthur's aunt waited to officiate. Arthur lay on a gurney as the couple exchanged their vows inside the plane, on the tarmac.
Less than four months later, Arthur died at age 48. Obergefell was listed on the death certificate as his surviving spouse; the couple had won a court order before Arthur's death to make it so.That victory was overturned by the federal appeals court in Cincinnati, which upheld the same-sex marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee as well.
 |
| On the phone with president Obama |
Obergefell sued Ohio, which banned gay marriage, after the state refused to acknowledge his marriage to Arthur on Arthur's death certificate.Surrounded by a sea of supporters on the sidewalk outside the white marble facade of the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, James Obergefell remembered a man who was not able to share his moment of triumph.
Obergefell also has run into problems with survivor benefits and he worries about being excluded, after his own death, from a family cemetery plot that Arthur's grandparents set aside for married spouses and direct descendants.None of it was a fight Obergefell and Arthur were looking for.
'I know in my heart John is here with me today,''No one could ever accuse us of being activists,' . 'We just lived our lives. We were just John and Jim.' Obergefell told hundreds of gay rights supporters after the high court declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.After the ruling, Obergefell received a congratulatory call from President
Like Us on Facebook!
0 comments:
Post a Comment