Family Equality Council to Honor Katie Couric, Dana Rudolph, at May 7 New York Gala

Family Equality Council, the nation's leading organization for LGBTQ families and those who wish to form them, is delighted to announce the honorees for the 2018 Night at the Pier Gala, to be held at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers in New York on May 7.

At the Night at the Pier Gala, Family Equality Council celebrates LGBTQ families and honors those who have made a significant impact in the fight for equality. This year Family Equality Council is proud to honor award-winning journalist and bestselling author Katie Couric for her work to elevate LGBTQ visibility. Most recently, Couric worked with National Geographic to produce and narrate the 2017 documentary Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric.

"We are delighted to honor Katie Couric for her sensitive approach to exploring gender identity and sharing her personal growth with the American public as we work to expand understanding of the issues facing the LGBTQ community," said Family Equality Council CEO Stan J. Sloan. "In the 2017 documentary Gender Revolution, Couric modeled the kind of empathy and allyship transgender and gender expansive people so desperately need, and highlighted the power of storytelling to change hearts and minds."

Katie Couric joined CBS as the first woman at the helm of an evening news cast after a 15-year run as co-anchor of NBC's Today Show. Couric is a well-known cancer advocate, and co-founder of Stand Up to Cancer, which has raised over $500 million to fund scientific research teams. She is also the New York Times best-selling author of The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives and host of an eponymous podcast on the Stitcher network. In addition to Gender Revolution, she is the executive producer of documentaries Fed Up, which looks at the obesity epidemic, and Under the Gun, which traces the history of gun violence in America. Couric's most recent project, a six-part documentary series with National Geographic, America Inside Out with Katie Couric, premieres on April 11 and takes a deep dive into the revolutionary changes and major social issues of our time.

Every year at the Night at the Pier Gala, Family Equality Council recognizes an individual who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our core values of love, justice, family, and equality with the Hostetter-Habib Family Award. This year, we are proud to honor writer and blogger Dana Rudolph, founder and publisher of Mombian, an award-winning blog that since 2005 has offered a mix of parenting, politics, diversions, and resources for lesbian moms and other LGBTQ parents.

Rudolph created and hosts the annual Blogging for LGBTQ Families Day (this year to be renamed #LGBTQFamilesDay), encouraging hundreds of bloggers to contribute posts in celebration and support of LGBTQ families. She also writes one of the longest-running LGBTQ parenting columns for several LGBTQ newspapers around the country.

"Each LGBTQ family is different-but we are also a community of families, strengthened by sharing stories and information," said Dana Rudolph, recipient of the 2018 Hostetter-Habib Family Award. "I've been honored to play a part in that and I'm grateful to Family Equality for all they do to bring us together and help us thrive."

At Night at the Pier 2018, Family Equality Council will also honor the memory of one of our dearest friends, unveiling the first video stories produced with the support of the Ric Swezey Memorial Fund. Created in 2017, the Ric Swezey Memorial Fund is dedicated to telling the stories of everyday LGBTQ families in their struggle for lived and legal equality.

"The outpouring of affection for Ric expressed through donations to Family Equality Council has moved me to tears more times than I can count over the past ten months," said Nick Scandalios, Ric Swezey's husband, father to Kate and Luke, and Night at the Pier Honorary Chair. "There is no greater honor for Ric than to support Family Equality Council's fight to protect children and their right to be brought up in loving homes by loving families."

The 2018 Night at the Pier Gala Honorary Chairs are Nick Scandalios and Daryl Roth, and this year's event chairs are Luigi Caiola, Bruce Cohen, Sam Lippitt, and Primavera Salva.
Family Equality Council gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Night at the Pier sponsors: (Platinum Level) McGill Caiola Family, Nederlander Organization, Thomas J Swan III; (Gold Level) Bryan Cave LLP, California Cryobank, Clockwork, Growing Generations, International Reproductive Law Group, Playbill, and Nick Scandalios; (Silver Level) Christopher Street Financial, Sixty Hotels, Target; (Bronze Level) Barry's Bootcamp, Katia Bouazza & Primavera Salva, HBO, Johnson & Johnson Care With Pride, International Fertility Law Group, Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health, Valerie & Jay Brown; (Partner Level) Burson-Marsteller, Olivia Travel & R-Family Vacations, and SALT Hotels.
Purchase tickets at http://www.nightatthepier.com