What You Can Do Today, To Help Preserve The Freedom To Marry, A Note From Jim Obergefell.

In moments like these, I find myself thinking: What’s within my power to do? Here’s a meaningful step: We can keep pushing back against the erosion of our rights and existence, ensuring everyone feels empowered and unafraid.

For less than a decade, the LGBTQ+ community has embraced the hard-earned freedom to marry—and the dignity it has brought us as more equal citizens. We’ve felt its tangible, day-to-day impact: stronger families, respect in our communities, financial and relationship stability, and a brighter future for our children. But now, that right is in jeopardy. With Project 2025 backing a new administration and a Supreme Court signaling a rollback of marriage equality, the stakes couldn’t be higher. We must protect the rights, protections, and dignity marriage provides.

The JustMarried Project documents the brave individuals whose love and courage changed the world. They made our world a better place, all in the face of adversity. These stories are not only a tribute to our history but a roadmap for resistance—a powerful tool to inspire and protect our community for generations to come.

We’ve received endorsements from actors, activists, and allies for our book, LOVE: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality. Our serialized podcast, delves deeper into the book’s stories, and the book itself—both set to release in time for the 10th anniversary of marriage equality in June—are filled with seven decades of heroic LGBTQ+ history.

With a new administration stripping away our vital rights and protections, complacency is not an option.

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What We’re Building Together-While Benefiting Family Equality

A Book That Inspires Action, LOVE: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality, is a stunning coffee-table book out in a few months and created with Rizzoli Books, one of the world's premiere illustrated publishers. It captures the triumphs and struggles of couples and activists who transformed marriage equality into reality and each true story embodies the long fight for social inclusion, dignity and 1138 rights & protections granted to citizens with federal marriage rights.?

A Serialized Podcast In May 2025, we’ll launch deeply personal and moving episodes that bring these stories to life.

Aspirations Program Send a book to an underserved area or library, ensuring these vital histories reach those who need them most.

A Docuseries in Development Our 8-part series will amplify these stories on screen, showcasing the love and courage that shaped history.

These?courageous?stories are far more than moments in our shared history—they’re testaments to the lengths people will go to?protect, celebrate, and stand beside the person they love. By bravely telling and retelling their stories—often to a world not yet ready to listen—they captured the compassion of a nation, seeking the dignity that comes from?true inclusion

These stories are about love and courage– at a time when we may need them most.It is a historical collection that educates and empowers future generations to protect our rights at all cost.

We believe the best way to fight against erosion of our rights is to remain defiantly visible and with our stories,and stay in the hearts of people worldwide.

With JustMarried – We intend to do just that.

These are the heroic stories our community needs right now. Send a book to a library or get one for your coffee table and ignite vital conversations.

On a Personal Note?

In 2013, John Arthur, my partner of more than 20 years, was nearing the end of his life due to ALS. After watching news of Edie Windsor’s win at the Supreme Court, overturning the federal Defense of Marriage Act, I leaned over to John and proposed. He said “Yes!”

Unable to marry in our home state of Ohio, we exchanged vows aboard a medical jet on a Maryland tarmac, the only way John could travel. But back home, our marriage wasn’t recognized.

John wanted to die with dignity, and we wanted our love and marriage to exist in the eyes of the state we called home. We wanted his death certificate to record the truth, that he wasn’t single. Because he wasn’t.?

So, we filed a lawsuit, fighting to ensure John’s death certificate reflected our lawful union. A judge in federal district court ruled in our favor, and John died a married man three months later. But then Ohio appealed our win, setting the stage for the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in our favor, recognizing our marriage and establishing the right to marriage equality nationwide. Our love became part of history.??

With your support today, The JustMarried Project will remind our nation of the power of marriage, why we fought for it, and why future generations deserve the right to say “I do” to the person they love.

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What Can You Do? You Can, Right Now:

Send a Book, Get a Book or Donate Now: Be a part of this project pushing back against erasure. Every dollar helps.

Spread the Word: Share this campaign with your friends, family, and networks.

Engage: Follow us, sign up to stay informed. Help us get books to your library, host events, and start conversations in your community.

Stay Visible: Post your wedding pictures, engagement stories, or a simple message of love on social media with #JustMarriedUs and Share Your Story With Us

Whether you are able to give now or not, please help us get the word out!? FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER! REPOST ON SOCIAL TO YOUR FOLLOWERS ABOUT OUR FREE BOOK PROGRAM. Blow a whistle, wave a rainbow flag, flash your engagement ring, scroll through your wedding pics and let everyone you know about The JustMarried Project.

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Your engagement, by sharing this vital project with your followers, or getting a book, helps ensure these stories reach those who need them most—whether it’s kids finding heroes in their local library, listeners discovering resilience in a podcast, or families inspired by stories of triumph over adversity sitting right on your coffee table.

One of the best tools we have to create?change– Are the?stories?we?share?about our lives.

We’re all in this together and we are stronger in numbers.

If you have a compelling marriage equality love story you'd like to share for potential use in our project, please tell us about it here.

Know someone who cares about maintaining marriage rights or would like to just hear The Heroic Love Stories Of Marriage Equality? Share this newsletter with them directly or your network by clicking the “Share” button below!

We will continue to?bring you?new, beautiful and brave stories while keeping you informed about the latest on marriage equality.

Thank You!?

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Jim Obergefell and the other producers at JustMarried!

Frankie Frankeny, Jason Dorn and Lynn Mueting