At 83, carefully coiffed, impeccably turned out, sunny, and very much in love, Edie Windsor is going to be our representative before the Supreme Court on March 27 when it hears her case challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Unfortunately, Edie will go without her beloved Thea Spyer, her partner since the early 60s, who died in 2009. It was her death that brought Edie face-to-face with DOMA. Although Edie and Thea married in Canada in 2007, the U.S. federal government said they were legal strangers, and charged Edie 50% tax on everything Thea had given her over 40 years. The bill came to over $350,000, and Edie sued. It is her case the Supreme Court chose when asked to choose among multiple cases challenging the constitutionality of DOMA.
“The idea that I might be a piece of history blows my mind. I think it’s kind of wonderful that I’m getting my chance to really ask for justice, and I suspect I’ll get it. I’m still that little kid from the civics class. And I think they’re going to rule in our favor because I think that’s just.”
For a long article on Edie and Thea, including how their story illustrates and intersects with LGBT history in this country, go to http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/meet-the-hero-of-the-marriage-equality-movement
