The overturning of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013 changed the lives of thousands of couples, and it was spurred by one woman from New York, Edith Windsor.

Windsor married Thea Spyer, her partner of 40 years, in Canada in 2007. Though the marriage was recognized above the border and in New York (which started recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages in 2008), U.S. law prohibited the women from reaping the same benefits as other married couples in the United States.

Spyer died in 2009, leaving her with $363,000 in estate taxes and no hope for exemption. Instead of accepting this, she sued the federal government, arguing that the section of DOMA defining marriage as a union between a man and woman was unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Windsor on June 26, 2013.