In response to the DOJ decision today to drop defense of the Defense of Marriage Act, Edie Windsor, ACLU client and Plaintiff in the DOMA challenge Windsor v. United States, taped a message of hope and gratitude. Transcript after the fold.
Hope and Change really came home to the gay community today.
"I'm Edie Windsor and I brought my case against the Government because I couldn't believe that our Government would charge me $350,000 because I was married to a woman and not a man.
The importance today and my feelings about our President and the Attorney General's feelings that Section 3, that's the section that says that marriage is only between one man and one woman, that that is in fact unconstitutional, it's very meaningful, that's very meaningful to every same-sex couple, and it's meaningful, I feel very strongly about the teenagers that are falling in love for the first time, without hope that they could get married. And this is different. This is different, it's more and more promising and heartening, that our government is saying there's nothing in the Constitution against us marrying.
My only regret is that my late spouse Thea Spyer is not here to experience this. And everyone is reassuring me today that she knows. And I hope so."
Say a prayer to get Thea's attention, just in case, if that's your inclination.
I got to meet Edie at the New York Gay Community Center when the ACLU held a press conference to announce Windsor v. United States. She was just so impressive and charismatic, I had to ask her for a hug (I'm not much of a hugger). She gave me one. She was surrounded by her friends who loved and supported her. I took the photo above, she's wearing the brooch Thea gave her as an engagement "ring." Of course they dared not wear rings in those days. Even in New York City, they dared not risk someone making inquiries about their love lives.
And Edie's right, in the video this is meaningful, very meaningful. Because it meant a lot when we thought the President believed that discriminating against LGBT Americans was Constitutional. Saying, "No, it's not," really means a lot.
These are the people made happy today. Everyone from our eldest seniors to those teenagers in love dumb with the rush of hormones.
Thank you, President Obama. Thank you, Eric Holder.
Photographs courtesy of Edie Windsor and the creators of the documentary, "Thea and Edie: A Very Long Engagement," distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures