Revered and respected icon and activist Edie Windsor passed away on September 12. Born on June 20, 1929 in Pennsylvania, Edie Windsor was 88 years old. Her landmark lawsuit, United States v. Windsor, filed on November 9, 2010, paved the way for the Supreme Court ruling that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage solely as the union of a man and a woman, was unconstitutional, leading to the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage.
Windsor brought suit when the government levied exorbitant taxes on her inheritance from the late Thea Spyer as if they were not family, although they were married in Toronto, Canada in 2007. The couple’s story was told in Susan Musika and Gréta Ólafsdotter’s 2009 film “Edie and Thea.” Windsor is survived by second wife Judith Kasen-Windsor, whom she married on September 26, 2016. Windsor was the Grand Marshal for Cherry Grove’s 19th annual Pride Parade, around downtown Grove, on June 17, 2017 and a showing of Fred Anguera’s Marriage Equality film “History in the Making” followed at the Community House.
In a September 12 email to members, Glennda Testone, Executive Director of New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center wrote, “It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I share with you the news that Edie Windsor, LGBTQ rights activist and icon, Center founding member and cherished friend, passed away today … she leaves behind a legacy that will long-serve to inspire and empower us to demand equality … Her historic victory forever changed lives for same-sex couples in the United States and emboldened us to believe that we can, and will, win the fight for true equality for all in the LGBTQ community.”
Our community mourns Edie Windsor’s passing and sends sincere condolence wishes to Judith Kasen-Windsor.