The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) on
Tuesday endorsed Jim Obergefell for the 89th District seat
of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Obergefell was the lead plaintiff in
Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case
that in 2015 found that gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional
right to marry.
HRC Interim President Joni Madison said
in a statement that HRC was proud to support Obergefell's candidacy.
“Jim Obergefell’s name is already
legendary in the LGBTQ+ community as the man who won marriage
equality for everyone in the United States,” Madison said. “Many
people would be content with such a legacy – but Obergefell is not
one to rest on his laurels. In his campaign for the Ohio House of
Representatives, he’s standing up once again for those who’ve
been marginalized, those who’ve been discriminated against, and
those who have been left behind. If he’s elected, the Sandusky area
will have someone representing them in Columbus who can be counted on
to stand up and do what’s right, and the Human Rights Campaign is
proud to support his candidacy.”
Obergefell and John Arthur, who was
fighting a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's Disease, married in Maryland
after sharing their lives for more than 20 years. Because the disease
was in its late stages, the couple married on an airport tarmac in
Baltimore. Three months later, Arthur died and Ohio refused to list
Obergefell on his death certificate as his husband.
Obergefell sued the state to recognize
his marriage.
Obergefell is running to unseat
Representative Douglas “D.J.” Swearingen, Jr., a Republican
opposed to LGBTQ rights.