Cancer-stricken gay rights activist dies

[Charlie Brown]

http://www.sovo.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=5217

Laurel Hester — a cancer-stricken law enforcement officer whose efforts to ensure that her pension benefits would be extended to her longtime domestic partner became a rallying point for gay rights activists — has died. She was 49.

Hester, who died early Saturday at the Point Pleasant home she owned with her partner, Stacie Andree, was a 23-year veteran of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. The couple, who were together for six years, had registered as domestic partners on Oct. 28, 2004.

During the final months of her life, Hester — who had lung cancer — waged a campaign to have her Police and Firemen's Retirement System benefits passed on to her partner because she feared that without her $13,000 death benefit, Andree would be forced to sell their home.

New Jersey's Domestic Partners Act, which was passed in 2004, gave state employees the right to name their domestic partners as beneficiaries, but it did not require local and county governments to do the same. Instead, it gave them the right to enact legislation extending the benefits, which several have done.

[UrbScotty]

1. May she rest in peace.

:hug:

[pinto]

2. It's good to see Ocean County did the right thing. Ms. Andree has my

condolences and kudos for having the guts to stand with her partner for their rights.

[Maat]

3. May she rest in peace.

In our faith, we know that she transitioned successfully to a place of higher enlightenment.

I'm so glad that she accomplished her goal. I believe it was no accident that, after having achieved that goal, she was able to let go.

And I bet that everyone who finally agreed/voted to let her partner have that benefit is feeling very good about their decision right now.

Bless her for being the activist that she was - right up until the end.