On Saturday May 21st Judith M. Kasen-Windsor hosted the annual Edie’s Backyard BBQ from 1 to 4 pm at a private home in Southampton. For several years Kasen Winsor has hosted this colorful BBQ to benefit the Edie Windsor Healthcare Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, but it’s also a celebration of Edie’s advocacy and legacy.
Windsor successfully overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act in the Supreme Court of the United States case, the United States v. Windsor, a landmark legal victory for the same-sex marriage movement in the United States. Edie was a prominent civil rights campaigner and a part-time Southampton resident until she died in 2017.
“She did not expect this fame in the last five years of her life. She got standing ovations in restaurants. It was crazy. People would drop to their knees and cry at her feet,” says Judith.
On September 26, 2016, Kasen-Windsor married Edie Windsor at New York City. Read more about their love story HERE
“We are proud to benefit The Edie Windsor Healthcare Center located in The Atrium in Hampton Bays,” said Judith M. Kasen-Windsor. “Our Memorial Day barbecue continues the legacy of Edie’s advocacy by helping to raise funds in support of the Center’s mission of administering to the healthcare needs of all members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as continuing to educate and provide HIV prevention and care.”
“The Edie Windsor Healthcare Center, which opened in 2021 is the only healthcare facility in Suffolk County providing specialized, compassionate primary care medicine to the LGBTQ+ community,’ said Bob Chaloner, Chief Administrative Officer of the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. “There are higher rates of serious disease, mental illness and mortality among this community due to lack of access to expert care. The center is also the gateway to all LGBTQ+ specialists available at Stony Brook University Hospital; together we can ensure that all our patient’s needs are met. ‘This new, expanded center builds on the legacy of being the first and only clinic to diagnose and treat HIV patients on the East End, which we will continue to do.”
Notable guests will include New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, author, philanthropist and Southampton Hospital Association Trustee Jean Shafiroff, fashion influencer and CEO of The Phluid Project Rob Smith, celebrity florist and event stylist Mark Masone and celebrity facialist Thuyen Nguyen. Entertainer Virginia Falls will make a guest appearance and DJ Holly will provide the music.
All proceeds raised at this event will be directed to the center’s Emergency Fund, which supports the underserved and underinsured communities. It will provide assistance with items such as personal care supplies, nutrition, transportation, counseling and other support services.
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is the only provider of emergency care on the South Fork of Long Island and has medical professionals representing over 50 specialties, with 32 satellite care centers located throughout the South Fork.
visit www.southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu
