Los Angeles, February 24, 2008 — The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) today congratulated director-producer Cynthia Wade on her Oscar® win for her short documentary, Freeheld. The award was presented this evening at the 80th Annual Academy Awards®, held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.

Freeheld documents the 2006 struggle of New Jersey Detective Lt. Laurel Hester in her effort to transfer her pension to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree, in the months leading up to Hester's death. With less than six months to live as cancer spread to her brain, Hester battled the Ocean County Freeholders, the locally elected officials, to give to Stacie the security for her partner that married couples receive automatically. The film captures both the very public and urgent dispute with the Freeholders, as well as the couple's intensely private struggle as they come to terms with Hester's terminal illness.

"We are thrilled that this powerful film, one that has the potential to change hearts and minds concerning fairness for gay couples, has been honored tonight with a well-deserved Academy Award®," says GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "We congratulate Cynthia Wade on her achievement and say 'bravo' to the Academy for their selection."

Freeheld has garnered a number of other notable awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and the Audience Awards at Outfest, Newfest and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

About GLAAD

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit Article Link Here .