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| Edith Windsor statement on supreme court steps – full text | Edith Windsor statement on supreme court steps – full text |
| (8 days later) | |
| This is the full text of the remarks by Edith Windsor, a plaintiff in the case against the Defense of Marriage Act, made on the steps of the supreme court after the case was heard on 27 March. | This is the full text of the remarks by Edith Windsor, a plaintiff in the case against the Defense of Marriage Act, made on the steps of the supreme court after the case was heard on 27 March. |
| "Somebody wrote me a large speech which I'm not going to make but there are a couple of things I wanted to say. I wanted to tell you what marriage meant to me. | "Somebody wrote me a large speech which I'm not going to make but there are a couple of things I wanted to say. I wanted to tell you what marriage meant to me. |
| "When my beautiful sparkling Thea died four years ago I was overcome with grief. Within a month I was hospitalised with a heart attack, and that's kind of common, it's usually looked at as broken heart syndrome. | "When my beautiful sparkling Thea died four years ago I was overcome with grief. Within a month I was hospitalised with a heart attack, and that's kind of common, it's usually looked at as broken heart syndrome. |
| "In the midst of my grief I realised that the federal government was treating us as strangers and it meant paying a humongous estate tax. And it meant selling a lot of stuff to do it and it wasn't easy, I live on a fixed income and it wasn't easy. | "In the midst of my grief I realised that the federal government was treating us as strangers and it meant paying a humongous estate tax. And it meant selling a lot of stuff to do it and it wasn't easy, I live on a fixed income and it wasn't easy. |
| "Many people ask me why get married. I was 77, Thea was 75, and maybe we were older than that at that point, but the fact is that everybody treated it as different. It turns out marriage is different. | "Many people ask me why get married. I was 77, Thea was 75, and maybe we were older than that at that point, but the fact is that everybody treated it as different. It turns out marriage is different. |
| "I've asked a number of long-range couples, gay couples who they've got married, I've asked them: 'Was it different the next morning and the answer is always: 'Yes'.' It's a huge difference. | "I've asked a number of long-range couples, gay couples who they've got married, I've asked them: 'Was it different the next morning and the answer is always: 'Yes'.' It's a huge difference. |
| "When our marriage appeared in the New York Times we heard from literally hundreds of people, all congratulating us and sending love because we were married. It's a magic word. For anybody who doesn't understand why we want it, and why we need it, it is magic. | "When our marriage appeared in the New York Times we heard from literally hundreds of people, all congratulating us and sending love because we were married. It's a magic word. For anybody who doesn't understand why we want it, and why we need it, it is magic. |
| "We did win in the lower courts. Today is like a spectacular event for me, a lifetime kind of event and I know that the spirit of my late spouse Thea Spyer is right here watching and listening and would be very proud and happy of what we've come to." | "We did win in the lower courts. Today is like a spectacular event for me, a lifetime kind of event and I know that the spirit of my late spouse Thea Spyer is right here watching and listening and would be very proud and happy of what we've come to." |
| Windsor's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, spoke afterwards | Windsor's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, spoke afterwards |
| "Today's oral arguments tells the story and tells the lesson of why it is we have a constitution. To bind us together as citizens of one nation, all of whom are guaranteed the equal protection of the law and there is no one individual who better personifies the concept of equal protection than my client, Edie Windsor." | "Today's oral arguments tells the story and tells the lesson of why it is we have a constitution. To bind us together as citizens of one nation, all of whom are guaranteed the equal protection of the law and there is no one individual who better personifies the concept of equal protection than my client, Edie Windsor." |
| Kaplan described how Windsor had cared for her spouse, Thea Spyer, after Spyer was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis, which eventually led to paralysis, describing her as "truly heroic". | Kaplan described how Windsor had cared for her spouse, Thea Spyer, after Spyer was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis, which eventually led to paralysis, describing her as "truly heroic". |
| "Anyone of us straight or gay would be so blessed and so lucky to have as a spouse Edie Windsor. So when as I said at the beginning of my remarks that Edie Windsor personifies the concept of equal protection, she truly does. Our constitution deserves Edie Windsor, and Edie Windsor deserves our constitution." | "Anyone of us straight or gay would be so blessed and so lucky to have as a spouse Edie Windsor. So when as I said at the beginning of my remarks that Edie Windsor personifies the concept of equal protection, she truly does. Our constitution deserves Edie Windsor, and Edie Windsor deserves our constitution." |
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