Same-Sex Marriage Plaintiff Dies Of Cancer

Niki Quasney, one of the women who paved the way to legalize same-sex marriage in Indiana, died Thursday of ovarian cancer. She was 38.

Quasney and her partner Amy Sandler were the first same-sex couple granted recognition of their marriage in Indiana. The pair had filed a lawsuit requesting immediate recognition of their union because Quasney was terminally ill.

“They brought this case and fought so hard because they loved each other and wanted their daughters to be treated with respect, just like any other family in Indiana,” Lambda Legal attorney Paul Castillo said in a statement.

“They also fought for all same-sex couples and their children in Indiana. They never wanted to be alone in recognition of their family. They knew that by coming forward they could help accelerate equality for all same-sex couples in Indiana by demonstrating the urgency of their need for equal dignity,” he said.

Same-sex rights advocates credited Quasney and Sandler with being a major impetus for the other marriage lawsuits that followed and were eventually successful.

“If my life is cut short because of ovarian cancer, I want our children to know that their parents were treated like other married couples in their home state, and to be proud of this,” Quasney told the court in a statement. “I want to know what it feels like to be a legally recognized family in our community, together with Amy and our daughters.

Quasney leaves behind her wife and two children.

Same-sex marriage became legal in Indiana in October, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Indiana and four other states. That decision allowed the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in favor of same-sex marriage to take effect.

The U.S. Supreme Court has since decided it will hear a case regarding same-sex marriage brought by other states. The court is expected to rule on the issue this summer.