CINCINNATI (Angenette Levy) -- Three weeks ago, Jim Obergefell walked out of the U.S. Supreme Court after listening to Justice Anthony Kennedy read a decision that legalized marriage for same-sex couples across the United States. Obergefell described it as an intense experience. "Justice Kennedy started to speak and the first thing out of his mouth was our case number. And I freaked. I just kind of startled in my chair and made a noise. I was sitting in between two friends and I grabbed their hands and about two sentences in I started to cry," Obergefell said. The next day, Obergefell returned to Cincinnati and was the grand marshal in the Pride Day Parade. Hours later he boarded a plane for San Francisco. He's been to several cities across the country since. Obergefell even received a call from President Obama congratulating him on his leadership. "I honestly think about what I've experienced over the past several months and I keep waiting to wake up. I keep waiting for someone to pinch me because it doesn't seem real yet." Obergefell said his husband, John Arthur, would be thrilled. Arthur died in 2013 after a long battle with ALS. The two had been married in Maryland but Ohio refused to recognize the marriage. A book and a movie about their story are in the works but Obergefell can't say much about either. He's not sure who should play him in in the film. But he says the fight for gay rights did not end with the Supreme Court decision. He said gays still face discrimination. "Here in Ohio someone could get married on Saturday and on Monday go to work and put their wedding photo on their desk and be fired. Not within the city of Cincinnati thankfully because we do have those protections here but in much of the state of Ohio that can happen," Obergefell said. Obergefell said he will still be involved in the fight for gay rights although he's still trying to figure out what role he will take. He also said he'd like to see some progress made toward ending discrimination against transgender people. Republican lawmakers in Kentucky have introduced bills seeking to protect county clerks from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples if they disagree with it based on their religious beliefs. Obergefell said those clerks work for and are paid by the public so they should represent the entire public. Follow Angenette Levy on Twitter @angenette5, and LIKE her on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @Local12 and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!
