WATCH: Jim Obergefell Challenges Republican Candidates on Marriage Equality

Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the case that made marriage equality the law of the land, is challenging Republican presidential candidates to defend his marriage and those of other same-sex couples.

Obergefell and the Human Rights Campaign held a press conference today in Cleveland, where the first GOP presidential debate will take place tonight.

"The majority of Americans, including some groups that voted Republican in 2012, would oppose any candidate who stands against marriage equality," said Obergefell, a longtime Ohio resident. "But so far, nobody on that main stage tonight, competing for the Republican nomination, has come out in support of marriage equality."

Obergefell and John Arthur spent two decades as partners and married in Maryland in July 2013, when Arthur was already terminally ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurological disease. They sued to get Ohio to recognize their marriage, and after Arthur died in October 2013, Obergefell continued with the suit to assure that he would be listed as Arthur's husband on the death certificate. Their case, along with others from Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee, went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, resulting in June's marriage equality ruling.

Obergefell said it's important to him to know if his marriage will be respected after the 2016 election. In addition to holding the press conference, he wrote an op-ed published yesterday in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland's daily newspaper, noting the Republican presidential field's opposition to marriage equality.

"When I look at my wedding ring, I see the honesty, trust and love I shared with my husband," he wrote. "And looking ahead, I need to know: Do the presidential candidates see the same thing, or do they see an opportunity to drive us apart? What will my marriage mean in 2016 and beyond if a candidate who opposes marriage equality wins the White House?"

He hopes the candidates will be asked some important questions on the matter, such as "Do you support efforts to undo my marriage?" he wrote. They should also be asked if they will support the recently introduced Equality Act, which would write LGBT nondiscrimination protections into federal law, he said.

Also in connection with the debate, HRC is asking supporters of marriage equality to use social media to share an image from its website with the hashtag #StandWithJim. Find the image here.

Watch a clip from Obergefell's press conference below.