The morning after last week’s election, the thought of death overtook me in a new and invasive way. That is our next vice president: a man who has shown time and again that he can’t govern for all people, but only the ones he approves of. It was only after people around the country-athletes, companies and ordinary individuals-began fighting back that the Indiana legislature was forced to water down the legislation, and Pence reluctantly signed a new bill into law. The governor hastily passed the bill and signed it in secret, allowing businesses, organizations and individuals to deny LGBT families like mine critical services simply based on a religious objection. This time around, Pence won-at least initially.

What if, in our most vulnerable time of need, hospice had been allowed-and protected, as Pence had wanted-to turn us away simple because we were a same-sex couple? We didn’t have time to research whether or not the hospice company would respect our family. In the last hours of her life, every second together counted. I thought: “What if this law had been in effect when we needed hospice care for Niki?” Six weeks after my wife passed, I testified before Indiana’s Senate Judiciary Committee, begging them to reject Governor Pence’s so-called “religious freedom” bill that would legalize discrimination against LGBT people and women in the state. She shared our fear of being denied emergency treatment at our local hospital, since we had already been denied a simple family gym membership at the facilities.īut while Niki and I beat Pence to win the freedom to marry, the governor’s crusade against LGBT Hoosiers was only beginning. Niki spoke out publicly about her medical challenges. Niki passed away shortly after our marriage victory.ĭespite all that she was going through late in her life, my wife never stopped fighting for gay and lesbian Hoosiers. Ultimately, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Indiana was violating our constitutional rights by enforcing its same-sex marriage ban.

But even that wasn’t acceptable to Pence-a lawyer for the state filed papers in opposition.

Given Niki’s grave health, our lawyers asked the court to lift the stay on an emergency basis, just for our family. After the Baskin plaintiffs won a sweeping victory, ordering the state of Indiana to recognize our marriages and give all same-sex couples the right to marry, Pence again appealed and the court put our victory on hold.

My Dying Wish by Mike Clemens