Local LGBTQ+ trailblazers reflect on a decade of marriage equality
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Mindy (Ross) Beall, left, and Jimmie Beall celebrate receiving their marriage license at the Franklin County Courthouse 10 years ago — a clip shared around the nation. Photos: Courtesy of the Bealls
Every Valentine's Day, Jimmie and Mindy Beall used to symbolically ask for a marriage license, knowing they'd be denied due to their sexual orientation.
Ten years ago today, the answer finally changed.
Why it matters: They were familiar faces at the Franklin County Courthouse — and first in its line for a license the day Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriages nationwide.
- Their right to be married feels increasingly threatened, they tell Axios, as LGBTQ+ people face a surge of political and legal challenges.
Flashback: That 2015 morning "seems like it was yesterday," Mindy says.
- Jimmie had been tracking Supreme Court activity, so they arrived before the ruling was even announced with a tray of freshly baked cookies.
- That's what courthouse staff had often apologetically offered when they stopped by.
- News outlets nationwide shared their celebration photo and the Columbus City Schools educators quickly became "same-sex marriage pioneers," as one Dispatch story put it.
What they're saying: "I never thought that I would see marriage equality in my lifetime, ever," says Mindy, 62. "When it happened, it was obviously a wonderful thing for us. But I didn't foresee what's happening now, either."
- "It was a question mark for a long time," Jimmie, 65, adds. "Then it was like an exclamation mark. And now it's like ... a comma."
Between the lines: Mindy and Jimmie no longer feel that they need to hide their love, as getting married with federal protections "legitimizes" their 22-year relationship to many.
- But there are also unromantic, yet important, benefits involving paperwork they worry they could lose.
- Before getting married, something as mundane as a doctor's visit was complicated by only one of them being their child's legal guardian.
Since Trump's reelection, Equality Ohio has handled a surge of LGBTQ+ Ohioans seeking legal advice regarding parenting rights, wills, powers of attorney and more, driven by concerns Obergefell could be overturned, executive director Dwayne Steward tells Axios.
What's next: The Bealls' 10th wedding anniversary is next Valentine's Day, the date they finally — and fittingly — had their ceremony.
- But they're celebrating today, too, as the date it all became possible.
Mindy's gift to Jimmie: a blanket with the Obergefell decision written in tiny text, forming a rainbow.
More Axios coverage of the Obergefell anniversary
- A decade after Obergefell, LGBTQ+ rights remain under threat — an interview with Jim Obergefell, a native of Sandusky, Ohio, who was the landmark case's lead plaintiff.
- Why Ohio gay marriage rights would reverse if the Supreme Court ever overturns its 2015 decision.
- A guide to Ohio bills that could impact marriage equality, LGBTQ+ rights.