Callen-Lorde & Edie Windsor to Dedicate Thea Spyer Center at Ribbon-Cutting

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and marriage equality icon Edie Windsor plan a November 3 ribbon cutting ceremony to honor the life and legacy of Windsor's late spouse Thea Spyer and dedicate the building named in her honor.

The Thea Spyer Center houses Callen-Lorde's mental health program that serves thousands of LGBTQ New Yorkers each year, offering short and long term counseling, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, group therapy and more, all delivered through a supportive and culturally competent model by experts in LGBTQ health and wellness.

Dr. Thea Spyer was a celebrated clinical psychologist with a long and successful career who worked for many years at St. Vincent's Hospital - one of Callen-Lorde's first partners. In 1965, Thea and Edie met and fell in love. In 2009, Thea passed away. In 2013, Edie Winsdor won her case against the United States and overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - a landmark civil rights victory for LGBT people in our nation.

In the spirit of Thea and Edie's selfless love and commitment to improving the wellness of LGBT Americans, Callen-Lorde is honored to introduce the Thea Spyer Center at Callen-Lorde.

Callen-Lorde is the global leader in LGBTQ healthcare. Since the days of Stonewall, Callen-Lorde has been transforming lives by providing a welcoming environment for LGBTQ communities to get quality care, free of judgment and regardless of ability to pay. The first LGBTQ centric healthcare provider, Callen-Lorde is widely recognized for its innovative HIV and transgender care. They continuously pioneer research, advocacy and education to drive positive change - not just for their patients - but for all LGBTQ people around the world, because Callen-Lorde believes healthcare is a human right. For more information about Callen-Lorde and its research and programs, visit www.callen-lorde.org.

THEA SPYER (1931-2009)
Thea Spyer, Ph.D was a brilliant psychologist, avid violinist, golfer and dancer. Born to Elisabeth Ketellapper and Willem Spyer in Amsterdam, Dr. Spyer immigrated to the US States during World War II. In 1963 she met Edie Windsor, who soon become her partner for the remainder of her life. Dr. Spyer earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Adelphi University. She interned at St. Vincent's Hospital and the NYC Veterans Administration, and later became Director of the Psychiatric Clinic at the International Center for the Disabled. She was then Clinical Consultant in Rehabilitation at St. Vincent's Hospital Westchester before concentrating exclusively on her private practice, where she cared for her patients until she passed away from aortic stenosis in 2009 at the age of 77. Dr. Spyer is survived by her spouse Edie Windsor, whom she married in Toronto, Canada in 2007.