June 20, 1929 - September 12, 2017

Edie Windsor was a civil rights icon, technology pioneer and feminist who is remembered for her landmark Supreme Court marriage equality lawsuit.
Starting in 1963, she was in a relationship with Thea Spyer. They married in Canada in 2007. Their marriage was legally recognized in New York, where they resided. When Spyer died in 2009, the federal government denied Windsor benefits otherwise provided to a surviving spouse. She sued. In 2013, the Supreme Court held in Windsor v. U.S. that denying same-sex married couples equal federal benefits was unconstitutional. Her case was used by courts to overturn same-sex marriage prohibitions in 17 states including Pennsylvania and laid the groundwork for Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which mandated same-sex marriage nationwide.
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Windsor graduated from Temple University in 1950. She received a master's degree in mathematics from New York University and studied applied mathematics at Harvard University.
She was an early pioneer in computer architecture, operating systems, and natural language processors. At a time when few women were in management, Windsor was an IBM technology manager.
This historic marker was initiated and overseen by Equality Forum to bring attention to the seminal role that Philadelphia and Philadelphians



played in the LGBT civil rights movement.

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