It's been one year since the United States Supreme Court heard the landmark federal marriage equality case of United States v. Windsor. Now, Roberta Kaplan, the incredible litigator who spearheaded the proceedings is receiving the distinct honor of being named AOL's next MAKER.
MAKERS is a digital platform that aims to elevate and honor women whose work is both groundbreaking and inspirational to the next generation of leaders. Kaplan's years of work ultimately led to the repeal of a key portion of the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), which allowed for federal recognition of same-sex marriages.
"[The passage of DOMA] was the first time in over 200 years of US history where the federal government had refused to defer to states in deciding who could get married," Kaplan states in the above video. "One of the things that very much kept me in the closet at the time was the sense that I wanted to get married and I wanted to be a mother... When I met Edie Windosr in 2009 it was immediately apparent to me that this was the story."
Check out the MAKERS video above to learn more about Kaplan and her tireless efforts on the behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.