Laurel Hester
| Laurel Hester | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Laurel Anne Hester August 15, 1956 Elgin, Illinois U.S. |
| Died | February 18, 2006 (aged 49) Point Pleasant, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | police officer, activist |
| Spouse(s) | Stacie Andree |
Laurel Anne Hester (August 15, 1956 – February 18, 2006) was a police lieutenant with the Ocean County, New Jersey Prosecutor's Office, who came to national attention with her deathbed appeal for the extension of pension benefits to her domestic partner. Her battle was shown in Freeheld (2007), the winner of the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary, and the feature film of the same name (2015), in which Hester is portrayed by Julianne Moore.
She was born in Elgin, Illinois, and grew up in Florham Park, the daughter of Diana (1922–1995) and George Hester (1919–1992). She has two brothers, George II and James, and a sister, real-estate agent Lynda (Hester) D'Orio. Hester realized she was gay at a young age. Though she accepted herself, at times her sexual orientation made her feel isolated. As a child her family often summered at the Jersey Shore, and later Hester would return to work in the area.
She earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and psychology from Stockton State College, now . While in school, she was a charter member and co-coordinator of the student club, Gay People's Alliance, the first LGBT group on Stockton's campus. Along with Kevin M. Cathcart, Hester served as co-president, but used a pseudonym so no one outside of the group would know she was gay. Her role in this student group was made public in November 1975, in a letter to the editor of The Argo entitled, Gay's rebuttal, which later resulted in her loss of a police department internship. She would continue to write articles advocating LGBT rights for The Argo until her graduation in 1977.
Her first position in law enforcement was in North Wildwood, New Jersey. After two summers working as a seasonal officer, she was told she would not be hired for a third because she was gay. She was then hired in Ocean County, New Jersey as a police officer. Hester spent 23 years there, becoming a detective in the Ocean County prosecutor's office, where she worked on a variety of cases. She was one of the first women to achieve rank of lieutenant in her department and was greatly respected by her fellow officers.
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