Love is love is love is love!

As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, who is soon to be married, the news of Idaho legislators calling on the US Supreme Court to reverse Obergefell v. Hodges/Marriage Equality genuinely worries me. These events have provided the impetus for my plea - a call to definitively enshrine marriage equality and same-sex marriage laws in the State of Ohio.

It was almost a decade ago, in 2015, when marriage equality became a rightful federal law under the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges. That decision has brought immeasurable joy and validation to countless same-sex couples across the country, including my significant other and myself.

While Marriage Equality and Same-Sex Marriage are enshrined on a federal level throughout the country, the thought of having those rights ripped away before my fiancé and I can even walk down the aisle together concerns me. The disturbing ideologies being spouted by not only some on the Supreme Court bench, but also elected officials in congress and the senate, this triumph for love, equality, and individual freedom could be in peril.

My home state of Ohio is a poignant battleground. Here, lawmakers continue to undermine the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Without clear state laws that solidify marriage equality, we remain vulnerable to these changes in federal interpretations and biased legislation.

This isn't just about my impending wedding or the countless other Ohioans who merely wish to formalize their love, though. It's about the principle of equality itself – a principle that we, as a nation, promise to uphold. It's time to turn that promise into practice within our state's legal framework.

Therefore, we humbly call upon the Ohio State Legislature, and all those with authority over our state's laws, to ensure and solidify the rights of all Ohioans to marry whom they love, regardless of gender. Protect our freedom to love. Let our unified voices ring loud in the halls of power.