To a More Perfect Union: U.S. v. Windsor

In the march to legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States, the definitive Obergefell v. Hodges case decided by the Supreme Court in 2015 may hold pride of place, but the 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor was an important step along the way. New Yorkers Edie Windsor and her long-time partner Thea Spyer married in Toronto in 2007, but when Spyer died two years later of multiple sclerosis, Windsor was required to pay hundreds of thousands in inheritance taxes because the marriage was not recognized under provisions of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The tale of the women’s life together was tenderly recounted in Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement (VL-3/11), and this documentary from Donna Zaccaro might be considered a sequel. Following a brief sketch of the progress made by the gay rights movement from the 1960s to the close of the last century, the film proceeds to Windsor’s decision to sue the government, and lawyer Roberta Kaplan agreeing to take on the case. Zaccaro skillfully melds archival footage and interviews with Windsor, Kaplan, legal experts Jeffrey Toobin and Nina Totenberg, and some supporters and opponents, making clear the hurdles the plaintiffs had to surmount and the strategy Kaplan devised to appeal to Anthony Kennedy, the swing vote on the court, which resulted in a 5-4 victory. Zaccaro also shows the immediate impact of the decision in various states even before the broader Obergefell ruling came down. Windsor is an engaging personality and this documentary further secures her status as a gay rights heroine. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)