On Saturday, March 11, the Imperial Court of New York hosted its 31st Annual Night of a Thousand Gowns. This year the organization chose our client Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) as its beneficiary. The gala featured a casino, a galleria of shops and a silent auction.
Sir Ian McKellen served as the event’s Honorary Chair. He “is one of the leading lights of stage and screen both here in the U.S. and all over the world. Sir Ian honored the Court with his presence and accepted the prestigious Fredd E. Tree Spirit of Stonewall award.”
Dustin Lance Black received the 2017 Diamond Award. “Black is the Oscar Award winner for best original screenplay of Milk, the acclaimed biopic starring Sean Penn as gay activist Harvey Milk. His career has spanned writing, direction, producing and editing for the movies and television. His credits include Pedro, Virginia, J. Edgar and When We Rise. He wrote and co-produced three seasons of Big Love. Throughout his career he has been an active and visible advocate for LGBT rights.”
CreagerCole was proud to attend this event alongside our longtime PR client TLDEF and honored to meet Dustin Lance Black. Black’s recent ABC Series, When We Rise, about the LGBT Rights Movement, featured a character named Marvin Feldman. Our own Rainie Cole went to college with Marvin at the University of New Hampshire in the ’70’s where they came out together. Black’s series was a poignant reminder of the triumphs and tragedies experienced during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the spirit of heroes like Marvin who became the inspiration for Cleve Jones when he created the AIDS Memorial Quilt.