Tag Archives: Laurel Hester

Laurel Hester Story Wins Oscar

Freeheld: The Laurel Hester Story, which chronicles the fight of a terminally ill New Jersey woman to leave her pension benefits to her lesbian partner, won the Oscar for Best Short Documentary tonight. Filmmakers Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth accepted by saying, “It was Laurel Hester’s dying wish was that her fight against discrimination would benefit all same-sex couples across …

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Nominated: The Laurel Hester Story

Among today’s Oscar nominees is Freeheld: The Laurel Hester Story, nominated for Best Short Documentary. Laurel Hester was the Ocean County, New Jersey cop who upon her diagnosis with terminal lung cancer in 2005, battled the authorities to have her police pension assigned to her partner after her death. After a long, ugly fight with county officials, Hester finally won …

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