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Bill Clinton Calls Edie Windsor and Roberta Kaplan 'Two Amazing Women'

Bill Clinton Calls Edie Windsor and Roberta Kaplan 'Two Amazing Women'

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The former president praised the women for their work in defeating DOMA, which he signed into law.

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The president who signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law is applauding the team that brought it down.

In remarks that will be aired this week on a Logo TV special, Bill Clinton praised Roberta Kaplan and Edith Windsor, the lawyer and plaintiff in U.S. v. Windsor, for their work in overturning the 1996 law that barred federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

"As marriage equality spreads across the states, the number of people impacted by these two amazing women will only continue to grow," Clinton says in a transcript obtained by The New York Times.

He added that he is "honored and grateful to be among the voices urging" the end of the antigay law.

Clinton's remarks will be aired Thursday during Logo TV's Trailblazers special, which will coincide with the one-year anniversary of the historic Supreme Court victory. In addition to Kaplan and Windsor, the televised event will also honor out athlete Jason Collins and Orange Is the New Black's Laverne Cox.

Kaplan also gave a nod to the former president this week. In a recent op-ed that detailed her strategy to overturn DOMA, the attorney used the phrase, "It's all about Edie, stupid," in reference to one used by Clinton during his first presidential campaign, "It's all about the economy, stupid." In the CNN article, she credits her success in U.S. v. Windsor to the singular love story of her client and her late spouse, Thea Spyer.

"Unlike many previous LGBT civil rights cases, our case involved only one plaintiff," Kaplan wrote. "The trouble with cases involving multiple plaintiffs is that the plaintiffs' stories often got lost in the shuffle. After all, it's hard for a judge or jury to focus on several plaintiff couples at once."

"Our view was that the best way to defeat DOMA was not to focus on lawyers or pundits, but instead to explain how DOMA harmed two real people, Edie Windsor, and her late spouse, Thea Spyer," she added.

Since last June's Supreme Court decision, district courts in 12 U.S. states have found bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional.

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Daniel Reynolds

Daniel Reynolds is the editor of social media for The Advocate. A native of New Jersey, he writes about entertainment, health, and politics.
Daniel Reynolds is the editor of social media for The Advocate. A native of New Jersey, he writes about entertainment, health, and politics.