Obergefell Worries Same-Sex Marriage “Will Be Erased” Under Trump

American civil rights activist Jim Obergefell is warning that same-sex marriage could be “erased” under the Trump administration.

Obergefell was the lead plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalised same-sex marriage in every state across the United States.

Speaking to Out Magazine, Obergefell said the way he shared his story had changed over decade since the ruling.

“Now, I tell my story not just with joy but with fear,” he said. “Fear that this story will be erased, our marriage will be erased, that our right to say ‘I do’ will be erased.

“We have taken some great steps forward, but with every bit of progress in our nation, we take steps back. If we don’t remind people where we’ve been, we’re going to lose it.”

Obergefell said he and his late husband had never planned to become activists, but simply fell into the legal battle when they were fighting for their ability to love, exist, and be treated with dignity.

“There are millions of people out there fighting [once again] for what’s right, fighting to make the world better,” he said.

“And if nothing else, find hope in that.”

Ten years since gay marriage legalised

June 26 marked ten years since Obergefell v. Hodges, when a majority of the Supreme Court judges ruled that bans of same-sex marriage on a state level violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The ruling was the culmination of decades of LGBTQIA+ activism, and a landmark decision that marked a significant milestone in the history of gay liberation.

Trump’s second administration has been marked with homophobic and transphobic rhetoric from the moment he stepped back into the Oval Office. Under his presidency, diversity and inclusion initiatives in federal agencies have been stripped back and censored, trans people have been banned from school sports and the military, and federally-funded healthcare for trans people of any age has been prohibited.

Writing in the Advocate for the ruling’s anniversary this year, Obergefell reflected on the international rise of fascism and the the continued dehumanisation of queer people throughout the decade.

“Yes, the queer community has been through this before,” he wrote. “But in 2025, we are losing, and will continue to lose, the rights we fought hard to achieve.

“Unless we see every marginalized community as part of our family, and until we embrace our full community, we succeed only in aiding those who work to erase all LGBTQIA+ people from society.”