Ellen DeGeneres didn't host last night's Oscars, but the lesbians still got their time to shine when Freeheld won the award for best Documentary short. Straight filmmaking duo Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth's 36-minute movie tells the story of New Jersey police officer's Laurel Hester's fight to transfer her pensions to her lesbian love, Stacie Andree.

The video's courtesy Blue Jersey's high-tech team. Notice that American soldiers - who can't be openly gay - ended up "presenting" the award for a gay couple's civil struggle, huh?

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Hollywood continues to struggle under the writer's strike, but that didn't stop the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from announcing the Oscar nominations this morning.

Familiar faces like Daniel Day-Lewis and Julie Christie will no doubt dominate the deluge of news stories, so we'd like to highlight the awards' gay contender: Freeheld: The Laurel Hester Story. Nominated for best short documentary, the film tells the tale of the titular Laurel Hester, a terminally ill New Jersey copper who fought to transfer her pension to her lesbian lover.

We've yet to see the film, but this here trailer definitely makes us want to check it out - after we apply tear proof mascara…

Laurel Hester, the 49-year-old cancer-stricken police officer who fought to leave her pension benefits to her partner lost her battle to cancer this weekend. As a 23-year veteran of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s office, Hester inadvertently became a gay marriage activist after battling over a year with numerous failed attempts to extend her pension benefits to her partner of six years. Hester feared that her partner would lose the home they shared without her 13,000 death benefit.

Two years ago, New Jersey passed a Domestic Partnership act giving counties and cities the right to extend healthcare benefits and pension benefits to partners of gay employees. Of course there is a caveat involved when it comes to our rights; these benefits can be given at the discretion of the individual cities and counties, and the Ocean Country Prosecutor’s office, Hester’s former employer, repeatedly thwarted her plea.

Despite her failing health, Hester didn’t just throw in the towel. She continued to show up at their meetings, demanding the simple designation that her partner receive her benefits in the event of her death. There were protests. Garden State Equality, a New Jersey gay and lesbian rights group got involved to raise public awareness and solidify her case. Nothing seemed to change their minds.

Bed-stricken and unable to attend further meetings, Hester had Garden State Equality videotape her final plea where she urged the freeholders to “make a change for good, a change for righteousness.” Finally, after a long battle, they relented agreeing to give Hester’s partner the benefits she’d earned.

Not to sound preachy, but Hester’s refusal to relent is a huge act of courage and perseverance that should resonate with us all. We’re going to act all kinds of crazy if Hester isn’t on the cover of The Advocate by the end of year.

Cancer-stricken gay rights activist dies at 49 [Newsday]

• Michael Lucas interviews Clay Aiken’s bare power bottom John Paulus. [Lucas Blog]

• Twelve men who were arrested in the United Arab Emirates in November were sentenced to jail time for their role in planning a gay wedding. [News 24]

• You too could own a truck like Jack and Ennis in Brokeback Mountain. [eBay]

• An interview with Stacie Andree, Laurel Hester's Partner is up at Big Gay Picture. [Big Gay Picture]

• Out has 7 reasons why The Gays are better than straights. We could add a few hundred more to the list. [Out]

• Heatherette or Catholic? Either way, these outfits are flaming. [Proceed At Your Own Risk]

• Madonna and Britney have been caught talking on film. Of course World of Wonder found this. [WOW Report]

• Officials in Ocean County, New Jersey have had a change of heart. Laurel Hester, the policewoman dying of cancer, can leave her pension benefits to her partner, Stacie Andree. [The Big Gay Picture]

• People have been talking about how gay the Golden Globes were. They were, but not because of the movies. Did you catch Isaac Mizrahi? He's coming back for the Oscars. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

• General Hospital is dealing with the coming out of one of its characters with tremendous respect. They’ve even teamed up with GLAAD. [ABC News]

• Jossip tells you how to get your greedy little hands on Colin Farrell's hooded wang. [Jossip]

• Clay Aiken should be thankful that the whore who is outing him with pictures in some rag isn't resorting to blackmail. That's just what happened to a poor twink in some German boy band. [Bitchless via Towleroad]

• San Fran's Badlands bar and some Castro fags have have resolved their catfight. At long last. [SF Gate]

• Heath Ledger: Still not gay! [A Socialite's Life]

• The European Union is none too pleased about some of the anti-gay stuff going down all over the continent. Are you listening, Poland? [Advocate]

• Ocean County, N.J. is still refusing to give the pension of a lesbian dying of cancer to her partner. Way to make things that much harder on her, guys! [Ocean County Observer]

• Rosie O’Donnell has partnered with Logo to develop a new sketch-comedy series featuring unknown up-and-comers. [New York Times]

• Star Jones is blogging now. Though it appears the comments have been taken down because of how vicious they were. [Shine Blog]

• Laurel Hester, the woman whose terminal cancer has embroiled her in a domestic partnership benefits controversy with the local government in Ocean County, New Jersey has found an ally in a straight, Bush-voting, man. They’re not all bad. [Big Gay Picture]

• Holy Shit! Avril Lavigne is, um, pretty. [A Socialite’s Life]

• Gay.com does the Caribbean and tells us which islands are gay-friendly and which aren't. [Gay.com]

Laurel Hester, a New Jersey woman with terminal cancer, has worked for the Ocean County prosecutor’s office for 23 years. She will not be allowed to give her pension to her lesbian partner once she dies. Elected officials are denying her request.

Michael Jensen, editor at Big Gay Picture, begins a three-part interview with the dying woman today. Apart from a brief interview with the New York Times, this is Hester's first really in-depth interview. Check it out.

Gay Officer, Dying, Is Pulled Into Rights Issue [New York Times]
It's Laurel Hester's Wonderful Life, Part One [Big Gay Picture]