Night at the Pier is an annual celebration and opportunity to recognize outstanding support for LGBTQ families, held at Chelsea Piers in New York.
April 4, 2017 — For Immediate Release
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Family Equality Council’s annual Night at the Pier Gala in New York City is taking place on May 8, 2017, and will honor When We Rise, ABC’s groundbreaking miniseries chronicling the rise of the LGBTQ rights movement, and Dr. David Baker-Hargrove, the Orlando, FL, mental health practitioner who coordinated the LGBTQ health services’ response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting in June 2016.
Family Equality Council is proud to honor the ABC miniseries When We Rise for its portrayal of LGBTQ families’ stories, and its success in bringing the history of the LGBTQ rights movement in the US to viewers’ TV screens across the country. Several pivotal moments documented by When We Rise bring the challenges faced by LGBTQ-headed families into sharp focus, and also highlight the impact of Family Equality Council’s work, contributing to the movement’s success in winning marriage equality through the Windsor and Obergefell Supreme Court rulings. The miniseries stars Guy Pearce as Cleve Jones, Mary-Louise Parker as Roma Guy, Rachel Griffiths as Diane, Michael K. Williams as Ken Jones, Austin P. McKenzie as Young Cleve, Jonathan Majors as Young Ken, Emily Skeggs as Young Roma, Fiona Dourif as Young Diane and Ivory Aquino as Cecilia Chung. Special guest stars include Whoopi Goldberg, David Hyde Pierce, Rosie O’Donnell and Denis O’Hare.
The Hostetter-Habib Family Award is given annually in honor of Alex Habib, Mark Hostetter, and their entire family in recognition of their extraordinary dedication to and unwavering commitment to Family Equality Council’s core values: love, justice, family, equality. Family Equality Council is proud to honor Dr. David Baker-Hargrove with the 2017 award. Dr. Baker-Hargrove is a licensed mental health counselor and leader in the response to the Pulse nightclub shooting last year in Orlando, FL. Baker-Hargrove has been providing mental health services to the LGBTQ community for 20 years. He spearheaded the response effort for the Pulse shooting in June 2016, mobilizing over 650 volunteer counselors to provide nearly 1,000 mental health encounters between June 12 and the July 4 Weekend. He is the co-founder of Two Spirit Health Services, Inc., Central Florida’s LGBTQ Health Center that continues to provide primary medical and mental health care for the ongoing Pulse healing effort.
The 2017 Night at the Pier Gala’s honorary chairs are Daryl Roth and Nick Scandalios, and the event is chaired by Bruce Cohen, Samantha Lippitt, Primavera Salvá, and Brian Sheerin. Night at the Pier will also feature a live auction, chaired by Family Equality Council Board Member Frank Bua.
Night at the Pier’s past honorees include Lisa Cholodenko, Lee Daniels, Chely Wright & Lauren Blitzer-Wright, William Hibsher, Roberta Kaplan, Broadway musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Daryl Roth, Nick Scandalios, and more.
Family Equality Council gratefully acknowledges the support of the following sponsors: Toys R Us, Nederlander, the McGill Caiola Family, Steven & Daryl Roth & Family (Gold Level), Christopher Street Financial (Silver Level), Target, HBO, ITG, Viacom, The Shubert Organization, Broadway Cares, Katia Bouazza & Primavera Salvá, and Valerie & Jay Brown (Bronze Level). Family Equality Council’s national programs and policy advocacy are supported by the following corporate sponsors: Growing Generations, Tylenol, Clockwork, Playbill, Burson-Marsteller, Bryan Cave LLP, Nederlander, California Cryobank, International Fertility Law Group.
For more information and to purchase tickets or tables, visit www.familyequality.org/pier
Follow the hashtag #NightAtThePier to get the latest news leading up to the Gala, and on the night of.
About Family Equality Council
Family Equality Council connects, supports, and represents the three million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer in this country today and their six million children of all ages. We are changing attitudes and policies to ensure that all families are respected, loved, and celebrated — including families with parents who are LGBTQ. We are a community of parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren and unattached youth that reaches across this country. For almost forty years we have raised our children and raised our voices toward fairness for all families. As we look to the next chapter of our work, we are also focused on LGBTQ youth needing families and the two million LGBTQ adults waiting to foster or adopt in our country.
For press inquiries and red carpet requests, contact:
Ed Harris, Director of Communications, Family Equality Council
646.880.3005 x117
eharris@familyequality.org
Michelle Fox, Fox Greenberg PR
212.334.1212
michelle@foxgreenberg.com