Jim Obergefell
Jim Obergefell was the plaintiff in the landmark marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges. The 2015 decision legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. The federal government recognized same-sex marriage in 2013 when it struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the United States v. Windsor. The Obergefell case tackled state legality. Obergefell and his partner, John, flew from Ohio to Maryland to marry legally as John was dying from ALS. A few months later, Obergefell sued to have his name listed as the surviving spouse on his partner’s death certificate. Obergefell and Pulitzer Prize winner Debbie Cenziper are the co-authors of "Love Wins."
Suhaly Bautista-Carolina
Suhaly Bautista-Carolina (she/they/we/us) is the Director of Public Programs & Partnerships at the American LGBTQ+ Museum in New York. Prior to joining the museum, Suhaly was Senior Managing Educator of Audience Development and Engagement at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they were a steward of the Civic Practice Partnership Artist residency program. They organized the Afrofuturist Teen Council in collaboration with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and played an integral role in realizing MetFest, the Museum’s inaugural block party celebration. Prior to the Met, Suhaly held roles at Creative Time, Brooklyn Museum, and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI).
In 2021, Suhaly was named a Women in Power Fellow with the 92Y Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact, and is a member of the inaugural class of NY Foundation for the Arts’ Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color. She is a board member of Weeksville Heritage Center and ArtTable, serves on the advisory board for MoreArt+, and is the co-chair for The Laundromat Project’s Catalyst Circle.
A native New Yorker, Suhaly has presented at conferences around the world including MuseumNext, ArtPrize, NYC Museum Educators Roundtable, Open Engagement, and Culture Push. They curated exhibitions and public programs in collaboration with Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, Art Connects New York (ACNY) and others. They were one of 50 art world leaders profiled in Jasmin Hernandez’ 2021 book, “We Are Here: Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World.”
