CINCINNATI (AP) — Three years ago Sunday, Jim Obergefell (OH’-burh-uh-fehl) asked his longtime partner to marry him, beginning a whirlwind of events that led to his name being at the top of the U.S. Supreme Court case that resulted in legalization of same-sex marriage across America.

It was June 26, 2013, the day the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, and they decided the time was right. But since they could not get married in their home state of Ohio, the couple started looking at the handful of states that did allow same-sex couples to marry at that time.

Two weeks later, on July 11, 2013, Obergefell and terminally ill John Arthur were married aboard a medically equipped plane in Maryland, where they flew because of Ohio’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Their situation drew the attention of a veteran Cincinnati civil rights attorney.

And one year ago, on June 26, 2015, a divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Obergefell v. Hodges, ruled 5-4 that same-sex couples had the right to marry nationwide as it overturned bans in 14 states.

Obergefell is now promoting a new book called “Love Wins.” He says he will devote his life to continuing the fight for equality for all amid backlash and the horror of the Orlando nightclub killings.

Dawn Ennis contributed to this report.

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