In their first gala since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Family Equality’s Night at the Pier celebrates and builds crucial support for LGBTQ+ families
NEW YORK — Family Equality, the nation’s leading organization advocating for current and future LGBTQ+ families, is delighted to announce the honorees for the 11th Annual Night at the Pier gala, to be held at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers in New York on May 16, 2022.
At Night at the Pier, Family Equality celebrates LGBTQ+ families and all those who have used their voices to advocate for our communities. This year Family Equality is proud to honor Jordan Roth and Richie Jackson, passionate creators and loving husbands and fathers who have been instrumental in the movement for marriage and family equality. Community advocate and LGBTQ+ parent Lydia Gray-Holifield will be honored with the Hostetter-Habib Family Award for her extraordinary dedication to and support of Family Equality’s mission to support LGBTQ+ families.
“I am thrilled to kick off my first ever Night at the Pier by honoring Jordan Roth and Richie Jackson, two trailblazers who use their talent and visibility to raise awareness for the fight for LGBTQ+ equality,” said Stacey Stevenson, CEO of Family Equality. “And I couldn’t imagine a more fitting Hostetter-Habib Family Award winner than Lydia Gray-Holifield. By increasing visibility for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ parents, helping eliminate barriers, and creating new pathways to accessing community needs, Lydia is a model of so many of the core values that guide this organization: advocacy, equity, pride, and joy—just to name a few. ”
Jordan Roth is a six-time Tony award-winning producer, having established himself as a theatrical innovator and style expressionist. As president of Jujamcyn Theaters, he has championed some of the most influential and successful shows on Broadway including Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Hadestown, Kinky Boots, Springsteen on Broadway and The Book of Mormon. He also produced the 2018 Tony Award-winning revival of Angels in America and the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning Best Play Clybourne Park. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Broadway League, Times Square Alliance and the Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, and was an original board member of Freedom to Marry.
Richie Jackson is the author of the book Gay Like Me, an opinion columnist for The Advocate, and an award-winning Broadway, television and film producer who produced the Tony Award-nominated Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song on Broadway and executive produced Showtime’s Nurse Jackie (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for “Best Comedy Series”) for seven seasons. This year, he will launch the Richie Jackson LGBTQ+ Service Fellows, a program designed to train the next generation of LGBTQ+ activists, at his alma mater, NYU. Jordan and Richie were honored with The Trevor Project Hero Award, and Jordan received the HRC Legacy Award. They are the proud parents of two extraordinary sons.
The Hostetter-Habib Family Award is given each year in honor of Alex Habib, Mark Hostetter, and their entire family to recognize those who demonstrate a commitment to advancing equality for all families through work on the front lines. Lydia Gray-Holifield works tirelessly to organize parents and families and advocate for the resources they need to thrive. In Lydia’s current position at Impact NE as DEI Director, she belongs to many different committees such as the POC affinity group and the LGBTQ+ committee in addition to serving as a member of the Early Learning Multnomah Parent Accountability Council, as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Human Solutions, and also as the Vice Chair of Black Child Development’s Portland chapter, which she co-founded. Lydia began working at the local school level, but gained national media attention after her work to secure universal preschool in Multnomah County. Together with her wife of nine years, Lydia has helped raise 22 happy, healthy, and successful children.
The 2022 Night at the Pier Gala Honorary Chairs are Daryl Roth and Nick Scandalios, and this year’s event chairs are Luigi Caiola, Merritt Johnson, Samantha Lippitt, Jeannie Uyanik, and Jason Weinberg. This year’s event is produced by Bruce Cohen.
Family Equality gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Night at the Pier sponsors: (Platinum Level) Caiola Productions, McGill Caiola Family, Nederlander Organization; (Gold) Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Bronze) Brady Klein Weissman, GENESIS Fertility & Reproductive Medicine, Hiro Premium Japanese Sake, Weill Cornell Medicine Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine; (National Corporate Sponsors) Byran Cave Leighton Paisner, California Cryobank, Clockwork, Fidelity Investments, Johnson & Johnson Care with Pride, Nederlander, Organon, Playbill, Target, WarnerMedia
Purchase tickets at www.nightatthepier.com
About Family Equality
Family Equality 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 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.
# # #
Press Contact
Anna Libertin,
Chief Communications Officer/
646-880-3005 ext. 157
communications@familyequality.org