TRENTON, N.J. (AP)
Feb 25 2008, 10:46 AM |
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Gay rights advocates in New Jersey are hoping an Oscar helps their cause.
Among the winners at the awards show was "Freeheld: The Laurel Hester
Story," a movie about a dying Ocean County woman's struggle to get
death benefits for her partner.
The movie, by New York filmmaker Cynthia Henry, won for best short documentary.
Hester was a detective for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. Before
she died in 2006, the county government agreed to extend benefits to
gay partners of employees.
Now, gay rights advocates hope the attention that comes with an Academy
Award will convince more people that New Jersey should allow gay
marriage.
Currently, gay couples in the state can join in civil unions, but advocates say those do not work like marriage.
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