Cincinnati Renames Street to Honor Marriage Equality Pioneers

The Cincinnati City Council voted Wednesday to give Mercer Street the honorary name of John Arthur & Jim Obergefell Wayto honor the Cincinnatian native, Obergefell and pay respect to his deceased husband, Arthur.

"John always wanted to leave a mark on Cincinnati," Obergefell told local TV station WCPO. "He didn't have that chance, but now he does."

The couple, who married in 2013 on an airport tarmac in Maryland (which recognized marriage equality at the time), filed a federal lawsuit to maintain their marital rights in their home state of Ohio.

Although Arthur of ALS within the year, Obergefell paid homage to his husband by continuing their battle in the court system for another two years, until the U.S. Supreme Court declared marriage a fundamental right for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, in 2015.

The couple lived in Cincinnati for over 20 years, mostly on the street that now bears their name.