Brandon Victor Dixon, Colin Donnell & More Will Take Part in Night of A Thousand Genders Benefit

The Ackerman Institute's Gender & Family Project will present its fifth annual benefit, A Night of A Thousand Genders, an evening of dinner followed by a very special one-night-only cabaret evening celebrating the beauty and resilience of gender expansive youth and their families on Monday, April 16, 2018 from 6:00-8:30pm at Edison Ballroom (240 W 47th Street, New York, NY)

The fifth annual Night of a Thousand Genders will be hosted by performer, writer, and director, Asia Kate Dillon (Billions) and will feature performances by Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE, Hamilton, Shuffle Along), Broadway and television actor Colin Donnell (Chicago Med, The Affair, Anything Goes), Jai'Len Christine Li Josey (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical), Aneesh Sheth (Southern Comfort), Samy el-Noury (Transparent) and with Music Direction by Emmy Award-winning composer Lance Horne. A special guest appearance will be made by Jeff Hiller (Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, 30 Rock, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

The fourth annual Ackerman Institute's Gender & Family Project Family Award will be given to Lina Bradford and her mother Darlene Bradford-Williams. Lina Bradford is a world-renowned DJ and trans advocate. She shares the family award with her mother, Darlene Bradford-Williams, who takes pride in all Lina has accomplished for the LGBTQ communities.

The fourth annual Ackerman Institute's Gender & Family Project Community Award will be given to Tiq Milan for his championship of intersectional leadership, transgender rights and racial social justice. He is a journalist and the founder of the Milan Media Group.

The event is sponsored by the Ackerman Institute for the Family, Bank of America, NYU Langone Medical Center, Isabel Rose and Jeff Fagen Foundation and by Honorary Chairs, NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Selenis and Marizol Levya, Seth Rudetsky and Pooyah Mohseni.

A Night of a Thousand Genders begins with cocktails and buffet dinner at 6:00PM followed by the benefit performance beginning at 7:00PM. Following the event there will be an After Party hosted by Dee TrannyBear and Deja Smith, with music by DJ Lina Bradford and Darlene Bradford-Williams and a special performance by Mila Jam. All proceeds from this annual event will support The Ackerman Institute's Gender & Family Project's mission to raise awareness about the critical need for more services supporting families of gender expansive youth, at home and in schools, as well as expanding its staff and scope of services in the greater New York area and beyond.

The Gender & Family Project (GFP) empowers youth, families and communities by providing gender affirmative services, training and research. GFP promotes gender inclusivity as a form of social justice in all the systems involved in the life of the family.

Directed by Jean Malpas, an international expert on gender and sexuality, GFP is a unique program in New York City, that offers multidisciplinary family-oriented services to gender nonconforming youth, including children under 13. Affirmative services include:

Services provided include:

· Support group for parents

· Play group for children

· Sibling Group

· Support group for adolescents

· Spanish-speaking support and play groups

· Psychological evaluation

· Family therapy and parental coaching

· Gender inclusivity training for schools

· Training for health professionals

· Liaising for medical and legal referrals

· Research on the needs of trans youth and families.

Since its inception, GFP has:

· Reached more than 1,000 families

· Trained more than 8,000 professionals

· Provided comprehensive training to public and private schools

· Co-sponsored a family conference attended by 2,000 professionals and family members

GFP is a project of The Ackerman Institute for the Family. Founded in 1960, the Ackerman Institute for the Family is one of the premier institutions for family therapy and one of the most highly regarded training facilities for family therapists in the United States.

To learn more about the Gender & Family project or to purchase tickets to A Night of a Thousand Genders please visit www.ackerman.org/1000genders