By now, you're probably familiar with Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in Windsor vs. the United States and a key figure in getting the Defense of Marriage Act struck down. (If you're not, remind yourself with this appearance she made at the New Yorker Festival a couple months back.) Her story is both romantic and sad: A woman locked into a marriage she didn't want in the highly gay-unfriendly mid-20th century eventually meets and falls deeply in love with another woman. Windsor's partner of over 40 years, Thea Spyer, died in 2008 and wasn't able to see her win the case that meant so much to them.
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Windsor is a runner-up for TIME's Person of the Year — she came in behind Edward Snowden and Pope Francis — and the magazine compiled a video, accompanied by a much longer biography, in which Windsor talks about her life with Spyer and how much she meant to her. It's a short but beautiful tribute to their lasting love.
(TIME)