Face of gay marriage, Jim Obergefell, Runs for Ohio House Seat

Jim Obergefell, who was the face of the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized federal same-sex marriage, announced he is running for a house seat in Ohio.

The case, Obergefell v. Hodges was passed on June 26, 2016 with a vote of 5-4.

Obergefell is running for a district in Ohio that includes his hometown Sundusky, a place that has been struggling to secure “good paying jobs,” he told the Washington Post.

Two of his biggest goals are to improve the region’s job outlook and to protect Lake Erie which is a major source of Sandusky’s economy.

Obergefell has said that he became an accidental activist after he and his partner, John Arthur, were legally unable to get married in Ohio. At the time, Arthur was dying from Lou Gherig;s disease. The two decided to get married in Maryland but due to Ohio not allowing or recognizing same-sex marriages, Obergefell would not be listed as Arthur’s surviving spouse on his death certificate.

After Obergefell and Arthur married in Maryland, Arthur died a little more than three months after. Obergefell was able to win a temporary injunction and was listed on Arthur’s death certificate. The injunction was overturned - an incident that started the journey for the Supreme Court case.

Since then, Obergefell has worked with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.