Cuomo Proclaims June 20 Edie Windsor Day

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Governor Cuomo issued a proclamation Wednesday honoring a champion for marriage equality.

The governor declared June 20 Edie Windsor Day in New York.

"Edie was an iconic New Yorker who shaped history and taught us that love always wins," Cuomo said.

Windsor was 81 when she sued the federal government in 2010 over the Defense of Marriage Act following the death of her first spouse, Thea Spyer. They legally married in Canada in 2007 after being together for more than 40 years.

The 2013 Supreme Court opinion became the basis for the wave of federal court rulings that struck down state marriage bans and led to a 2015 Supreme Court ruling giving same-sex couples the right to marry.

On the day that the Supreme Court decision came down, Windsor said, "It makes me feel incredibly proud and humble."

Windsor died last September. Wednesday would have been her 89th birthday.