(uplifting music)
- Thank you so much.
I know it holds stressful.
I'm waiting on a whole bunch of stuff
coming down alongside ya.
- We're now awaiting the Supreme Court's ruling
on whether same sex couples nationwide
have the equal right to marry.
(crowd cheering)
However the decision comes down on
the marriage issue, one thing's undeniable.
There has been this incredible shift
in attitudes across the country.
The marriage equality is about our civil rights.
- X, X, Y, Y, marriage is a civil right.
X, X, Y, Y, marriage is a civil right.
- And our firm belief that every citizen
should be treated equally under the law.
(string music)
- You know the case Obergefell V. Hodges
started out purely with my late husband John and I
wanting to commit to each other
and to have our government acknowledge our existence.
The driving force behind filing this lawsuit
was a sense of dignity and a sense of respect.
We wanted our marriage to matter.
(peaceful music)
That was the moment when my activism was born,
but it's also the moment that I realized
this is a lawsuit that could have much greater impact
outside of just our marriage and that realization that
this fight for our marriage was a fight
for all marriages across the nation.
- I think most of the nervous energy that morning
kinda came from what if the sprinkler
went the wrong way?
You know, we were on kind of the verge of
a massive leap forward in civil rights,
in human rights in America.
- We were in the Chief of Staff's office
having our normal morning meeting
when my assistant rushed in a few minutes after 10
with a note saying that marriage equality decision
had come down by four ruling in our favor.
And I screamed out to everybody, "Guess what?
"The decision has come down."
The Chief of Staff, Dennis McDonough said,
"Well since your responsibilities included fighting
"for rights for the LGBTQ community,
"you should get to go tell the President."
He was upstairs in the residence working his eulogy
for Reverend Pinckney who together with eight
of his parishioners had been murdered
in Charleston the week before.
And so you can imagine, it was just chaos.
He was trying to finish his eulogy,
now he had to write a landmark speech
about this incredible decision.
- I was in that court room that day
when Justice Kennedy would read his decision
and I realized, yes, he's saying we matter,
we exist.
I broke into tears.
Of course my first thought was, John,
I wish you were here to know that
your death certificate will never change.
To know that you will always be my husband.
- We tried to see if Jim could make it to the White House
in time to come to the rose garden with the President,
but it was just not gonna be possible
so we had to track him down, get him on the phone.
- After court ended I turned around
and had an interview with a CNN crew
and then someone said, "Jim you have a phone call."
And they handed me a phone on speaker.
Hello?
- Hi is this Jim?
- Yes it is Mr. President.
- I figured when I saw you that we were gonna
be hoping for some good news when we did
and I just wanted to say congratulations.
- Thank you so much, sir.
I think it was your wishes (laughing).
- Your leadership on this has changed the country.
- I really appreciate that, Mr. President.
Looking back at that conversation with President Obama,
he said that my leadership made a difference
in our nation and for me,
I feel like I simply did what was the right thing
to do in regards to my husband.
In regards to living up to my promises to love,
honor, and protect.
- Progress on this journey often comes
in small increments.
Sometimes two steps forward,
one step back.
Propelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens.
And then sometimes there are days like this,
when that slow, steady effort,
is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunder bolt.