Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that brought marriage equality to the United States as a whole, visited Nashville on November 10, 2015, for an HRC Nashville Federal Club (NFC) event. The event served as yet another celebration of marriage equality, and one of the fight’s most well-known heroes, and as the NFC’s holiday party.

The evening was sponsored by Diageo, a British multinational alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, England. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine, and has been a major supporter of HRC’s work worldwide. According to Jeffery Humble, co-chair of NFC, Nashville’s party, which celebrated the work of the HRC and looks forward to what remains to be done, will be the first of a series of such parties supported by Diageo.

Obergefell presented himself humbly, as he tends to do, as an accidental activist who became involved in the equality movement by chance—through the sad illness and loss of his beloved partner—and whose world was profoundly changed in the process. His “accidental” involvement would, of course, end up changing the world at large and impact the lives of LGBT Americans everywhere.

While a major point of the event to celebrate this major victory with one of its heroes, perhaps more importantly it allowed HRC to introduce its NFC members to the immense work remaining for advocates. Of particular interest is the HRC’s work on behalf of the Equality Act, which would protect LGBT Americans from discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

“Marriage equality is not the end,” said Humble, “it is only the beginning. The Equality Act is an important for us all, especially the transgender community. We all must also work to end violence and discrimination that our transgender and gender nonconforming people face at epidemic levels. We’re all one community of LGBT, and we must continue to work together!”

Photos by Myl Pac Photography, courtesy of HRC Nashville