Jewish Lesbian Widow Edith Windsor Revels in Win on Gay Marriage

Gone But Not Forgotten: Edith Windsor dedicated her win in the Supreme Court?s decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act ot her late partner. ?What a way to celebrate the life of my beloved Thea,? she said. Image by getty images

By Reuters June 26, 2013

If Thea Spyer, whose death in 2009 set the stage for Wednesday’s landmark Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, were still alive, she might tell her partner, Edith Windsor, “You did it, honey!”

Windsor, who is Jewish and just turned 84 just a few days ago, spoke those words at a triumphant news conference at a gay and lesbian center in Manhattan, hours after the Supreme Court threw out a central part of the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA.

Windsor sued the federal government after she was forced to pay additional estate taxes because it did not recognize her marriage to Spyer under DOMA. Windsor will now be able to claim a $363,000 tax refund, plus interest.

Windsor said the news had brought tears of joy.

“What a way to celebrate the life of my beloved Thea,” said Windsor, who wore a beaming smile.

The decision opens the door for same-sex couples in the 12 states that allow it, plus Washington D.C., to receive federal benefits, and has turned Windsor into an icon.

“It’s an accident of history that put me here,” said Windsor. “If Thea had been Theo,” everything would have been different, she said.

Windsor, a New York resident and former IBM consultant, and Spyer, a psychologist, met in the 1960s in a New York restaurant and spent four decades engaged to be married before they finally tied the knot in Canada in 2007.

Windsor remained closeted for years and wore a circle diamond pin rather than an engagement ring to hide the truth.

“Internalized homophobia is a bitch,” she said. “I lied all the time.”

Now, the legal fight behind her, Windsor said she is looking forward to a quiet retirement.

“I don’t have a ton of years left and I would like to relax a little bit,” said Windsor.

With that, she stepped out into the center’s atrium, where a cramped crowd of people whooped with joy and chanted her name.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO