“Our arguments are going to be the same, but the questions that the judges have may be different,” said Matthew D. McGill, a member of Bostic’s legal team that also argued California’s Proposition 8 case before the U.S. Supreme Court last year.

Neither the plaintiffs nor defendants will testify before the appeals court — but they will be in the courtroom, closely watching the proceedings.

“It’s weird to hear yourself being talked about; you become the topic of the conversation, but you can’t defend yourself,” Bostic said in an interview.

The Norfolk hearing in February was a “nerve-wracking experience,” Bostic said, adding that he doesn’t expect today to be any different.

“It’s a little unsettling, when you turn around the corner and see all these cameras, because I’m a very private person. And we do expect a bigger crowd in Richmond. But at the end of the day, this isn’t going to change us. After the hearing, we’ll do interviews and then we’ll go home, do the dishes, walk the dog and go about our lives. It’s a strange reality,” he said.