Edith Windsor remembered as ‘great’ pioneer for gay rights
NEW YORK — Love made Edith Windsor a married woman. Widowhood made her a gay rights pioneer.
Facing a big tax bill after the death of her first spouse, Windsor took on the federal law that prevented her from enjoying the same inheritance tax break she would have gotten if she was married to a man.
She took the fight to the Supreme Court, which struck down critical parts of a U.S. marriage law in a ruling that helped pave a path toward legalizing same-sex nuptials nationwide.
Windsor, who marveled at the arc of gay rights in her lifetime, died Tuesday in New York at age 88, said her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan. The cause of her death wasn’t given, but she had struggled with heart issues.