John,
When I first met my husband John, we were like most couples. We had good
times and bad, rough times and lean ones, and we definitely had been
together in sickness and in health. For more than 20 years, we loved each
other, were devoted to each other, and were a family. We were like
millions of other couples across the globe. But we lacked one thing: a
legal document that enshrined our rights as a married couple.
Then John was diagnosed with the terminal illness of Lou Gehrig’s disease
(ALS). At that time, there were some states that allowed same-sex
marriages. Our home state of Ohio was not one of them, so as John fought
his illness, we got married inside a medical jet on a Maryland airport
runway. Saying “I do” was the happiest moment of our life together. We
would finally exist as a lawfully married couple, and John could die a
married man.
When we got back to Ohio, we learned the state would not recognize our
marriage on John’s death certificate at the time he died. John and I
decided to take the fight to court. We were lawfully married. We deserved
dignity and respect. Couples like us also deserved the same rights and
responsibilities as any other married couple. I took this case, Obergefell
v. Hodges, all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.
It was a hard-won victory, but on June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled
that same-sex couples had the right to marry and to have those unions –
and families – recognized throughout the nation. It was a wonderful day,
but John did not live to see it. He died in 2013.
I thought that would be the end of our fight for justice. But seven years
later, I - and millions of LGTBQ folks and interracial couples - are
facing uncertainty as the Respect for Marriage Act hangs in the balance.
Those who believe in justice throughout our country are under attack.
The Respect for Marriage Act would formally repeal the 1996 Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage as between a man and woman.
The new bill will require states to recognize marriages - both same-sex
marriages and interracial marriages - legally perfomed in other states.
Those who do not recognize those marriages will face civil action. Last
week, Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act with 47 House
Republicans joining their Democratic colleagues in support of the bill.
As the law moves to the Senate, Democrats are on board. Eight Republicans
oppose it. Marco Rubio said it was “a stupid waste of time.” The rest of
the Republicans are undecided. We need just five Republican votes to get a
filibuster-proof majority.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition to demand the Senate pass the Respect for Marriage
Act.
The vote is expected to be held in the Senate next week. Passing the
Respect for Marriage Act is something more than 70 percent of people in
the United State agree on according to a Gallup poll.
To be treated fairly and equally is at the core of this country’s founding
principles. I am running for State House in Ohio for the same reasons I
took my fight to the Supreme Court - I believe in justice for this
country, in good times and bad, sickness and health, ‘til death do us
part.
Jim Obergefell
Candidate State Representative, HD-89
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John, our VOTE shirt is BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
[ [link removed] ]Give $30 or more to help DFA run our grassroots get-out-the-vote
programs for progressives up and down the ballot and we will send you our
limited edition VOTE shirt!
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