Edie Windsor May Be Time's No. 3 for Person of the Year But She's Our No. 1

Time magazine placed Edie Windsor at No.3 on its Person of the Year list, dubbing the DOMA plaintiff the “Unlikely Activist.” At the same time, Windsor launched a website, EdieWindsor.com, that includes Helen Reddy's anthem "I Am Woman" playing alongside highlights of Windsor’s fight against DOMA.

"It is difficult to overstate the practical benefits to every gay American following Windsor’s victory in June,” Time’s Eliza Gray wrote of the decision to place Windsor in the top three. “After the Supreme Court decision, gay couples could file joint tax returns, get access to veterans’ and Social Security benefits, hold on to their homes when their spouses died and get green cards for their foreign husbands and wives. For many couples—especially those with children and those without means—these benefits and protections are not merely symbolic."

Time’s chose Pope Francis as Person of the Year due to the unprecedented level of modernity and forward thinking he’s brought to the role of Pope, while whistleblower Edward Snowden took the second spot.

In a statement issued in a press release today, Windsor stated:

“I am honored that Time chose me as one of the number 3 individuals in the top 5 nominees for ‘Person of the Year,’ but I am just one person who was part of the extraordinary and on-going fight for marriage equality for all our families. There are thousands of people who helped us come this far and we still have a lot more work to do. The gay community is my ‘person of the year’ and I look forward to continuing to fight for equal rights and educate the public about our lives alongside my gay brothers and sisters and our allies. Even without taking the ‘Person of the Year,’ even being in the top 5 is an extraordinary way to end a year that has been historic for all of us and truly spectacular for me and gave me the chance to tell my story via Time through an interview and audio interview with photo slideshow. Thea (Spyer - Windsor’s long-time partner who died) would be thrilled, proud and so happy to see what we have all accomplished together."

Windsor spoke to Time about LGBT people of her generation: “Most of us have spent most of our lives coming out selectively. It’s safe here. It’s good here. You can say you have a wife here, but not there.” She topped it off saying, “I can’t be more out!”