U.S. President Barack Obama holds a news conference after participating in the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Former President Barack Obama wrote in a statement sent to PoliticusUSA that he had the privilege to speak with Edie Windsor days before her passing, to tell her “one more time what a difference she made to this country we love.”
“America’s long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence, and fueled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes to speak out for what’s right,” Obama’s statement began.
“Few were as small in stature as Edie Windsor – and few made as big a difference to America.
“I had the privilege to speak with Edie a few days ago, and to tell her one more time what a difference she made to this country we love. She was engaged to her partner, Thea, for forty years. After a wedding in Canada, they were married for less than two. But federal law didn’t recognize a marriage like theirs as valid – which meant that they were denied certain federal rights and benefits that other married couples enjoyed. And when Thea passed away, Edie spoke up – not for special treatment, but for equal treatment – so that other legally married same-sex couples could enjoy the same federal rights and benefits as anyone else.
“In my second inaugural address, I said that if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. And because people like Edie stood up, my administration stopped defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in the courts. The day that the Supreme Court issued its 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor was a great day for Edie, and a great day for America – a victory for human decency, equality, freedom, and justice. And I called Edie that day to congratulate her.
“Two years later, to the day, we took another step forward on our journey as the Supreme Court recognized a Constitutional guarantee of marriage equality. It was a victory for families, and for the principle that all of us should be treated equally, regardless of who we are or who we love.
“I thought about Edie that day. I thought about all the millions of quiet heroes across the decades whose countless small acts of courage slowly made an entire country realize that love is love – and who, in the process, made us all more free. They deserve our gratitude. And so does Edie.
“Michelle and I offer our condolences to her wife, Judith, and to all who loved and looked up to Edie Windsor.”
The Obama years were replete with moments like the one he shared with Edith Windsor, of great steps forward in equality and justice. None of that could have happened without people like Edith Windsor, who fought for what she knew was right. Edith Windsor was a fearless advocate for gay marriage rights.
As President, Obama was adept at uplifting and honoring the work of others and he continues to do so as a former president. His leadership is sorely needed.
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