Ithaca College

When the love of Edie Windsor’s life died, she was forced to pay additional estate taxes because the federal government did not recognize her marriage to Thea Spyer. Edie would become the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, resulting in the Supreme Court ruling in June that the federal ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen series will show “Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement,” a documentary capturing the story of these two women and how their simple love for one another changed history at 7 p.m. in Textor 101 on Thursday September 12, and it is free and open to the public.

Edie and Thea became “engaged” shortly after they met in New York’s West Village in the early 1960s, though the idea of a civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples was unthinkable at the time and would not come to pass for another four decades. In their 70s, with Thea’s health in rapid decline, the two seized the opportunity to fulfill their dream after Canada legalized gay marriage. The film captures their inspiring journey to Toronto, where they were finally able to make their vows.

“Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement” was produced and directed by the award-winning filmmakers Susan Muska and Gréta Ólafsdóttir, whose other works include “The Brandon Teena Story” and “Women, the Forgotten Face of War.” Its honors include the Audience Award for Best Documentary at OUTFEST, the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and Amsterdam’s Roze Filmdagen.

The Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen series is sponsored by the Ithaca College Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Education, Outreach, and Services. For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/lgbt.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Luca Maurer at lmaurer@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-7394. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.