Freeheld

In 2006 we had Brokeback Mountain and Transamerica, two Oscar-nominated movies that brought issues facing GLBT individuals to the forefront. Brokeback Mountain told the tale of the forbidden love between two cowboys in the 1960's and Transamerica told the story of a transgender woman who goes on a cross country journey with the son she didn't know she had. This year, the Oscar season brought another powerful film about GLBT issues to the forefront, a short documentary called Freeheld.

I have to admit that before watching the Oscars this past Sunday I hadn't heard about this 38-minute film. During Director Cynthia Wade's acceptance speech after winning an Oscar for best documentary, short subject, I was quickly clued into the story. In fact, I had followed it in the news as it was unfolding in 2006.

Freeheld documents the struggle of Detective Lieutenant Laurel Hester, a 25 year veteran of the police force in Ocean County, New Jersey, to transfer her earned pension to her domestic partner after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. When told that she has less than six months to live, Hester requests that the Ocean County Freeholders, a board with the power to transfer her pension, grant her benefits to her partner upon her death. Initially, the board declines, citing state law that only heterosexual married couples can do such a thing.

After the denial, the public, New Jersey's GLBT advocacy group, and even the state governor got involved to put pressure on the Freeholders to grant Hester her dying wish. In the end, the Freeholders transfered Hester's pension to her domestic partner just a month before the lieutenant passed away.

Although I haven't yet seen the film, just watching the 3 minute trailer caused me to tear up a bit (and that doesn't happen too often). The story itself, about two women fighting institutionalized discrimination impacting their lives, is quite powerful in its own right. Even more powerful, at least to me, was the other narrative contained in Freeheld. That is the story of two women who love one another knowing that their time together is coming to an end. It's a heartbreaking tale in and of itself, but the added layer of a system stacked against them makes it all the more powerful.

I plan on watching the film as soon as I can. If you'd like to learn more about the film, check out the Freeheld website at http://www.freeheld.com/index.html.