Edith “Edie” Windsor, the plaintiff in the June 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act,” is on the editorial short list of 5 – coming in at #3 – for Time Magazine’s person of the year, capping off a year of landmark progress for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
Every December, Time Magazine chooses from five finalists one “Person of the Year.” In addition, Windsor was a finalist in the public online poll, a clear demonstration of the growing public support for marriage equality and the power of her story and fight for equality and dignity for her marriage and life with Thea Spyer and the thousands of other same-sex couples in the U.S. and around the world.
“I am honored that Time chose me as one of the number 3 individuals in the top 5 nominees for ‘Person of the Year,’ but I am just one person who was part of the extraordinary and on-going fight for marriage equality for all our families, ” said Edie Windsor. “There are thousands of people who helped us come this far and we still have a lot more work to do. The gay community is my ‘person of the year’ and I look forward to continuing to fight for equal rights and educate the public about our lives alongside my gay brothers and sisters and our allies,” Windsor continued. “Even without taking the ‘Person of the Year’ even being in the top 5 is an extraordinary way to end a year that has been historic for all of us and truly spectacular for me and gave me the chance to tell my story via Time through an interview and audio interview with photo slideshow. Thea would be thrilled, proud and so happy to see what we have all accomplished together.”
The honor comes along with the launch of Windsor’s new website. The site, ediewindsor.com has many components, in addition to the landing page video that is a short chronicle of Edie’s life and produced by the same team that created the documentary film, Susan Muska, Gréta Olafsdóttir, dozens of photographs, highlights of her fight against DOMA and information and links to “Edie’s causes.”
“Designing Edie’s website has been a collaborative effort with one of my heroes and a labor of love for me personally,” said Carla Grande, a New York based agent, producer and web designer who has worked in the fields of photography, illustration, design and fine art for over twenty-five years. “Creating an online resource for ‘all things Edie’ has been a joy and an unforgettable experience.”