An “effecting, eloquent account” of the historic victory for marriage equality by a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and the plaintiff who fought the case (Kirkus).
In June 2015, the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage the law in all fifty states. Through insider accounts and access to key players, this definitive account reveals the dramatic events behind Obergefell v Hodges—and the fascinating lives at its center.
Decades ago, Jim Obergefell and John Arthur fell in love in Cincinnati, Ohio, a place where gay men lived in fear of being arrested. When the Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the federal government had to provide equal benefits to all married couples, Jim and John—who was dying from ALS—flew to Maryland, where same-sex marriage was legal, to exchange vows on an airport tarmac. But Ohio refused to recognize their union, and they learned that John’s death certificate would describe him as single. When John passed away, Jim would not only mourn a devoted partner, but would be denied acknowledgment of the life they had shared.
When civil rights attorney Al Gerhardstein met Jim and John, he saw how their grief was compounded by the state’s refusal to recognize their relationship. It was a terrible injustice—and a vital legal opening that could make historic change. Together, Al and Jim battled state leaders, lawyers, and community groups who opposed their cause. But they also partnered with more than fifty lawyers and plaintiffs in three other states and ultimately celebrated together when the Supreme Court ruled in their favor.
