BY: DM
Published 4 hours ago
Jim Obergefell didn’t just make history — he changed the game. Nearly a decade after the landmark 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, the man behind the ruling is still speaking against the Donald Trump administration.
In 2013, Obergefell was grieving the loss of his spouse, John Arthur, who had just passed away from ALS. The two had gotten married in Maryland because Ohio, their home state, didn’t recognize same-sex marriage. When Arthur died, Obergefell wanted Ohio to list him as the surviving spouse on the death certificate. The state said no, because in their eyes, their same-sex marriage didn’t count.
In June 2015, the Court ruled 5–4 that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry, regardless of where they live. The decision changed everything. Marriage equality became the law of the land, and Obergefell’s name became forever linked to one of the biggest civil rights victories in U.S. history. Now, Obergefell is speaking out again, voicing concern about the future of LGBTQIA+ marriages.
Obergefell warns that the country could erase same-sex marriage.
In an interview with Out Magazine, marking a decade since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, Obergefell spoke out about his role in changing the law and why he now fears that rights could vanish entirely.
“Now it feels different. Now, I tell my story not just with joy but with fear — fear that this story will be erased, our marriage will be erased, that our right to say ‘I do’ will be erased,” Obergefell said. “We have taken some great steps forward, but with every bit of progress in our nation, we take steps back. If we don’t remind people where we’ve been, we’re going to lose it.”
Obergefell earned that 2015 victory through years of relentless legal work. He joined forces with the ACLU of Ohio, filed lawsuits against multiple states, and pushed through lower-court setbacks. Eventually, the Supreme Court agreed to hear their case. As Obergefell explains, marriage recognition means the world to some couples. “Just that experience of saying ‘I do’ and making our promises to each other — it changed us,” Obergefell recalls. “In some ways, nothing changed, but in the really important ways, everything changed.”
The Trump administration has targeted other Supreme Court rulings.
Obergefell points squarely to the current administration’s rhetoric and a reshaped Supreme Court, warning that the same legal reasoning used to overturn Roe v. Wade could be deployed to challenge marriage equality. Obergefell’s concern isn’t abstract. Since 2022, more than a dozen states have introduced bills aimed at undermining LGBTQIA+ rights, and conservative justices have signaled a willingness to revisit settled precedents.
Though the Respect for Marriage Act guarantees federal recognition of same-sex marriages, it can’t stop a Supreme Court majority from overturning Obergefell v. Hodges and sending couples back to a patchwork of state bans. Now, Obergefell says, we need to defend what we fought so hard to gain.
“I feel fortunate that I can be a voice for our community,” Obergefell told Out. “I can continue to fight for those who are marginalized and vulnerable because the LGBTQIA+ community includes everyone — and we must fight for all of us.”
Do you think marriage equality is truly safe, or are Obergefell’s fears justified? Comment below!
