MUNSTER, Ind. (WOWO): A Northwest Indiana is being praised as a pioneer in the fight for gay marriage in Indiana.

Niki Quasney of Munster died Thursday. She's remembered as one of the women who paved the way to legalize same-sex marriage in Indiana, died Thursday of ovarian cancer. She was 38. Quasney leaves behind her wife and two children. 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. Lambda Legal attorney Paul Castillo said in a statement, “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.”



“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.”



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