Edith Windsor is among the 10 finalists
nominated to be TIME magazine's 2013 Person of the Year.
Editors also included among its 42
original nominees openly gay Diana Nyad, who at 64 became the first
person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.
Windsor is the 84-year-old widow who
sued the federal government for not recognizing her marriage to
another woman and won. Her Supreme Court case brought an end to the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and led to federal recognition of the
marriages of gay couples. The case is also being cited in nearly two
dozens cases challenging similar state bans.
If Windsor were to receive the title,
she would become TIME's first openly gay Person of the Year.
The other 9 finalists competing for the
title are Syrian President Bashar Assad, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Texas
Senator Ted Cruz, singer Miley Cyrus, Pope Francis, President Barack
Obama, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, HHS Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius, and NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
TIME's Person of the Year will be
announced on Wednesday, December 11.