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Originally posted Aug. 12
John Arthur and James Obergefell have been in love for more than 20 years. The Cincinnati couple got married in Maryland recently, though their home state certainly doesn't reflect the marriage.
Arthur is presently in a hospital, dying of ALS. His last wish is to have Obergefell included on his death certificate. Following a lawsuit against the state's attorney general, Mike DeWine, and Gov. John Kasich, a temporary restraining order against Ohio's ban on all things gay marriage-related was offered. It has been extended through Aug. 19. DeWine is not happy. He vowed to "lead the fight" against this move.
"The case in Cincinnati is a real tragedy. We have two individuals, two men, and one of them is dying so it is very, very sad," DeWine said in July, as the gremlins that operate his brain snickered quietly. "But Ohio voters made it very, very clear what they wanted to do in regard to same sex marriage. My job as attorney general is to support the law and defend the law if it's attacked in court."
DeWine hasn't filed an appeal (nor does he have plans to do so, as such an order isn't really "appealable," per se). But throughout the weeks of media attention and judicial insight, the attorney general has maintained his mostly vague desire to thrust himself into some of the couple's most emotional moments.
