To be a Sophomore in June

Abstract

June 26th, 2015. It was the summer right before my sophomore year of high school when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state bans on same-sex marriage to legalize it in all 50 states, ensuring that same-sex marriage licenses from any state would be honored. In my lazy suburban home in Austin, I watched the national coverage and celebration of the historic and triumphant conclusion of Obergefell v. Hodges just before the end of Pride Month. Marriage was the farthest thing from my mind as a high school student on summer break, but I couldn’t deny the uplifting and empowering impression the decision made on me as a queer young adult. Simply having the option of marriage available meant queer individuals had more control over their own representation in the eyes of institutions that recognize and have benefits for heteronormative spouses, and this is especially true for healthcare. Queer couples now had nationwide access to healthcare coverage options such as employer-sponsored health insurance, spousal dependent coverage, consolidated family deductibles, spousal Medicare/Medicaid eligibility, and joint Health Savings Accounts. More importantly, couples now also had legal recognition of medical decision making, bringing us closer to ensuring queer individuals would have the most control over their desired health outcomes. It also finally meant John James Arthur’s final wish of being remembered and survived by his spouse, James Obergefell, could be reflected on a death certificate in their home state of Ohio (Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015).