VIDEO: In Cleveland, HRC and Jim Obergefell Ask Candidates to Defend Marriages of Thousands of Same-Sex Couples Across Ohio and the Nation

WASHINGTON - August , 2015 - Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, released a video of Jim Obergefell, who's lived in Ohio for nearly five decades, asking candidates to defend his marriage and those of countless same-sex couples across the country, in advance of tonight's debate in Cleveland.

Obergefell was the named plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, that led to nationwide marriage equality in June. When the Windsor decision came out in June of 2013, Obergefell and his partner of 20 years, John Arthur, decided to get married.  But Arthur, who suffered from ALS, was in hospice care and confined to a hospital bed, so the pair was forced to take a medically-equipped plane to Maryland--where same-sex marriage was legal--to do so.

As same-sex marriages were not recognized in Ohio, Obergefell filed a case in July 2013, seeking recognition of their Maryland marriage on Arthur's death certificate.

"When I look at my wedding ring, I see the honesty, trust and love I shared with my husband. And looking ahead, I need to know: do the presidential candidates see the same thing, or do they see an opportunity to drive us apart?" said Obergefell. "What will my marriage mean in 2016 and beyond if a candidate who opposes marriage equality wins the White House?"

Watch video of Obergefell's press conference, which was held near the debate venue in Cleveland, HERE.

Obergefell, a longtime HRC member and supporter, wrote an op-ed for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer telling his story and asking the candidates to defend his marriage -- and those of countless LGBT couples across the country who have gotten married. HRC is calling on its members and supporters to show their support for marriage equality by sharing its image share with the hashtag #StandwithJim.

Recent polling conducted by GQR for the Human Rights Campaign showed that a 55 percent majority of voters are less likely to support a candidate for president who opposes allowing same-sex couples to marry, including 40 percent who strongly oppose. This majority includes Independents, married women and white millennials. All of these groups voted Republican in the last congressional election.

The Public Religion Research Institute, meanwhile, reported earlier this year that Ohioans support marriage equality by a margin of 53-39.

Earlier this year, HRC released a website, hrc.org/2016RepublicanFacts, that highlights the public statements of candidates on key issues including: positions on marriage equality, support for anti-discrimination bills and history of anti-LGBT rhetoric, among others.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

Videos

HRC & Jim Obergefell Ask Candidates to Defend Marriages of S - Posted Aug 7, 2015

 

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