Former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton was among the luminaries who on Friday paid tribute to Edith
Windsor, who passed in Manhattan at the age of 88.
Windsor, often called the “mother of
marriage equality,” successfully challenged the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA), a law that prohibited federal agencies from recognizing
the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples. The Supreme Court's
2013 ruling paved the way for Obergefell, which found that gay
couples have a constitutional right to marry.
(Related: Edith
Windsor, plaintiff in Supreme Court case that struck down DOMA, dies
at 88.)
At her funeral at New York City's
Temple Emanu-El, Clinton eulogized Windsor, whom she described as
having a “positive, lasting influence on our country and the
world.”
“How she experienced loss, grief, and
injustice made her only more generous, more open-hearted, and more
fearless in her fight. She refused to give up on the promise of
America. There wasn’t a cynical, defeatist bone in her body. That’s
especially important for us to remember now. Through her
determination and sheer force of will, she brought us another step
closer to that more perfect union. Now, in this moment when so much
hard-fought progress is hanging in the balance, it is up to all of us
to pick up where she left off,” Clinton said.
In closing, Clinton quoted poet Mary
Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and
precious life?”
“Let us continue to be inspired by
Edie's wild and precious life,” Clinton added. “And let us make
her proud every day of how we answer that question for ourselves.
Thank you, Edie.”
While former President
Barack Obama said that Windsor made a “big difference to America,”
President Donald Trump has kept mum on her passing.