CINCINNATI — Cincinnati city leaders, including Mayor Aftab Pureval, on Thursday celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to legalize same-sex marriage.
The landmark Civil Rights case began with University of Cincinnati grad Jim Obergefell. During Thursday's event, Pureval proclaimed June 26 "Jim Obergefell Day" in Cincinnati and gave him a key to the city.
"I am so thrilled that Cincinnati is part of my past, part of my present and part of my future," Obergefell said.
Obergefell and his husband, John Arthur, married in Maryland in July 2013.
Arthur had ALS, and the two wanted to make sure Obergefell would be listed on his death certificate as his spouse. Before 2015, Ohio law did not allow that. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to get married.
"We were part of making the world a better place," Obergefell said.
Hear how people are celebrating the landmark milestone and why advocates feel there's more work to be done in the video below:
The ruling was life-changing for couples like Kathy Driehaus and Eileen Trauth.
The Cincinnati natives were married in Massachusetts in 2004, but up until 2015, their marriage wasn't recognized in the Buckeye State.
"We wouldn't be able to live in our hometown if we didn't have marriage equality," Trauth said.
The two said they credit Obergefell for being able to come home to Cincinnati and live how they always wanted.
"It's amazing to see the difference in Cincinnati over the years," Driehaus said. "It just thrills us."
Still, Obergefell said it hasn't always been easy.
He referenced Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk who denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples even after the Supreme Court's ruling. Davis cited religious reasons for denying the licenses.
Obergefell said pushback has also come from Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The two justices were part of the original ruling and have since endorsed revisiting the decision.
He said the court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 made some people in the LGBTQ+ community feel vulnerable.
"It is absolutely at risk, and all I can think is, why?" Obergefell said. "Why do people feel this need to continually attack a community that might be different in some ways but are still human beings?"
Obergefell said opposition to the ruling has always existed, but he said he feels it's been heightened under the current administration.
"Worry about the things that actually make a difference for everyone," Obergefell said. "Stop attacking people who are different."
With that in mind, we asked Obergefell what his message was for people in the LGBTQ+ community who may be fearful or scared of their rights being reversed.
"I am one of many, countless people who are out there fighting every single day to say that you matter, you exist, and we're going to keep fighting to make the world better for you," Obergefell said. "So you might feel alone, and I understand that, but just know there are a lot of people out there who are fighting on your behalf to make your world better."
