Edith Windsor died today. She was 88 years old. Windsor's Supreme Court case struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, granting same-sex married couples federal recognition for the first time.
The 2013 Supreme Court decision enabled same-sex married couples to receive federal benefits, and contributed to the legal reasoning behind 2015’s Obergefell vs. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage across the U.S.
Windsor was one badass octogenarian and her courage and tenacity in taking on the government changed LGBT lives forever. She was a pioneer and even in the midst of legal battles she never lost her grace, wit, and zest for life.
Barack Obama said today, "America's long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence and fuelled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes to speak out for what's right.
"Few were as small in stature as Edie Windsor - and few made as big a difference to America."
Here's a link to "A Very Long Engagement," a documentary about Edie and her partner of 42 years, Thea Spyer. If you haven't seen it, have a kleenex handy. Maybe a box. It's a beautiful love story and you can see why Edie could not be cowed.
http://www.here.tv/movie/edie-thea-a-very-long-engagement/505888
RIP to a great woman.
The 2013 Supreme Court decision enabled same-sex married couples to receive federal benefits, and contributed to the legal reasoning behind 2015’s Obergefell vs. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage across the U.S.
Windsor was one badass octogenarian and her courage and tenacity in taking on the government changed LGBT lives forever. She was a pioneer and even in the midst of legal battles she never lost her grace, wit, and zest for life.
Barack Obama said today, "America's long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence and fuelled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes to speak out for what's right.
"Few were as small in stature as Edie Windsor - and few made as big a difference to America."
Here's a link to "A Very Long Engagement," a documentary about Edie and her partner of 42 years, Thea Spyer. If you haven't seen it, have a kleenex handy. Maybe a box. It's a beautiful love story and you can see why Edie could not be cowed.
http://www.here.tv/movie/edie-thea-a-very-long-engagement/505888
RIP to a great woman.
