Tony Award Honors “Tireless Advocacy and Dedication to LGBTQ Families Nationwide.”
NEW YORK — Family Equality Council is delighted that Nick Scandalios will be awarded the 2018 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of his tireless advocacy and dedication to LGBTQ families. Nick Scandalios’ service on the Family Equality Council Board of Directors began in May 2008, and in a testament to his leadership abilities, Nick rose to the position of Board Chair in 2014. Nick has spoken across the country and served as a public spokesperson for LGBTQ families and for Family Equality Council. As the Supreme Court was preparing to rule on marriage equality, his family was featured on national news programs, bridging a gap with those who needed a deeper understanding of the importance of securing a positive ruling in the Obergefell case.
Since stepping down as Board Chair in 2015, Nick continued to guide the Board through a leadership transition, and even after ending his service as a Board member, has continued to bring visibility to LGBTQ families, serving as Honorary Co-Chair with Daryl Roth of Family Equality Council’s annual Night at the Pier Gala in New York.
“We are proud to congratulate Nick Scandalios on this great honor, and remain so grateful for his steadfast support for Family Equality Council and LGBTQ families across the country,” said CEO Stan J. Sloan. “Nick has worked and continues to tirelessly work for LGBTQ families nationwide, and at this critical moment in LGBTQ history, his efforts have never been more important.”
Regardless of where people fall politically, there is no doubt that the 2016 election further polarized the American public. Members of our community know only too well that how polarization has resulted in amplified voices of opposition, fear, and even hatred against LGBTQ families. Those voices are heard in whispers toward families like Nick’s in New York City, but elsewhere those voices are too often heard in shouts and acts of violence and discrimination. True to form, Nick and his family stepped up to the plate to help those families, even when faced with the devastating loss of his beloved husband Ric Swezey in May of 2017. Even in that moment of personal tragedy, Nick thought beyond the realities of his own family and toward the families of others. As it became apparent that Ric would not survive, Nick Scandalios channeled his grief to ask that Ric’s death, like his life, be a source for good in the world, establishing the Ric Swezey Memorial Fund of Family Equality Council. The Fund continued to raise over $500,000 from over 500 donors in the space of a few short months, and is being leveraged to tell the stories of LGBTQ families from across the country.
The Isabelle Stevenson Award will be presented to Nick Scandalios at the American Theatre Wing’s 72ndAnnual Tony Awards, hosted by Sara Bareillies and Josh Groban on Sunday June 10, 2018.
About Family Equality Council
Family Equality Council advances legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change. Family Equality Council believes every LGBTQ person should have the right and opportunity to form and sustain a loving family, regardless of who they are or where they live. Learn more at familyequality.org.
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Media Contact:
Ed Harris, Chief Communications Officer, Family Equality Council
646–880–3005 x117
media@familyequality.org