2026 Mike Anglin Trailblazer Award recipient Cannon Austin, left,
and 2026 Media Award recipient Benito Skinner, right.
TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editor
Nash@DallasVoice.com
Black Tie Dinner marks its 45th anniversary in 2026, with a gala event built around the theme “Renaissance.” The theme was chosen, organizers say, as “a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in all its forms, as well as the creativity and resilience that is born from adversity — a renaissance for the LGBTQ+ community, of the causes we champion and 45 years of showing up together.”
But when they chose the theme at the first of this year, Black Tie’s board members and volunteers could not have guessed just how appropriate it would end up being. Because those who don their gayest formal apparel and gather in the Sheraton Dallas Hotel’s Lone Star Ballroom on Saturday evening, Nov. 14, will be celebrating not just the 45-year history of this groundbreaking event and the vibrant and involved community that has made it possible. They will also be celebrating the renaissance of hope birthed in this Nov. 3 midterm election.
As Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in the wake of this year’s historic Democratic landslide, voters in the midterms “delivered a resounding message: Equality wins. After two years of MAGA Republicans waging a culture war, wasting taxpayer dollars attacking LGBTQ people and spending $340 million on anti-trans ads while families suffered, voters have had enough.”
Noting that in handing the right wing an “historic rebuke,” Robinson added, “voters didn’t just reject LGBTQ+ hate, they have elected an historic number of LGBTQ+ elected officials . … The message from LGBTQ+ voters could not be any more clear: Our rights are not up for debate. Our community will not be a political punching bag. And we are not going anywhere.”
Robinson, who is also president of Black Tie’s national beneficiary organization, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, will be one of the featured speakers. She joins a lineup of speakers that includes a variety of award recipients and entertainers appearing during the dinner, such as the 2026 Vanguard Award, Peppermint. The Vanguard Award honors individuals who have led movements advancing LGBTQ+ progress.
Peppermint, who first gained national attention on season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race, is a Broadway star, actress, singer and cultural commentator who made history as the first openly transgender women to originate a principal role on Broadway, when in 2018 she played Pythio in Head Over Heels. Her screen credits include Survival of the Thickest and Fire Island as well as Drag Race, where she finished as runner-up.
Writer, actor and comedian Benito Skinner will be on hand at Black Tie to accept the 2026 Media Award, which recognizes individuals whose work has increased positive awareness, visibility and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, community experiences and stories through the media.
Skinner wrote, executive produced and starred in the Amazon Prime and A24 original comedy series Overcompensating, which premiered in May 2025 and has since earned him several Gotham TV Award nominations, including outstanding lead performance in a comedy series and breakthrough comedy series, as well as the Critics Choice Association’s Rising Star Award. Skinner also uses his platform and creative projects to normalize queer experiences, uplift LGBTQ+ voices and foster authentic visibility across screen, stage and digital media.
North Texas community heroes being recognized at the 2026 Black Tie Dinner include HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health President and CEO DeeJay Johannessen who will receive the Kuchling Humanitarian Award (read a profile of Johannessen on page 8), and Cece Cox, who just stepped down after nearly two decades as the leader of Resource Center. Cox is this year’s recipient of the Black Tie Dinner Visibility Award (read a profile of Cox and her tenure as Resource Center CEO online at DallasVoice.com).
The Kuchling Award, named after the late Raymond Kuchling, recognizes extraordinary service to the LGBTQ+ community. The Black Tie Dinner Visibility Award recognizes individuals whose leadership and public advocacy have increased visibility, understanding and support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Recipient of the 2026 Richard Weaver Volunteer Excellence Award, which honors an individual who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to supporting both Black Tie Dinner and the LGBTQ+ community through volunteer service, is Wendy Struhs who became a Black Tie volunteer in 2023 and who played a pivotal role organizing the successful 2025 Black Tie Auction.
Cannon Austin will receive the 2026 Mike Anglin Trailblazer Award, presented each year to an LGBTQ+ individual under the age of 25 who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and has served as a catalyst for change within the LGBTQ+ community on a local or national level. Since 2024, they has dedicated more than 258 verified volunteer hours to supporting Indigenous cultural preservation, LGBTQ+ advocacy, youth empowerment and civic engagement through their work with numerous organizations and initiatives, reflecting a deep commitment to uplifting historically marginalized communities.
Wendy Struhs
Proceeds from this year’s Black Tie Dinner benefit the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and 19 local organizations serving the LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS communities: Abounding Prosperity, Inc., ASD — A Home for Life, Camp Haven, Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ, Celebration Community Church, Dallas Hope Charities, Equality Texas, Legacy Cares, Northaven United Methodist Church, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Resource Center, Synergy Wesley Foundation, Texas Latino Pride, Truth Pregnancy Resource Center, Turtle Creek Chorale, Uptown Players, The Women’s Chorus of Dallas and Yule Sober Living.
The entertainment lineup for the dinner includes a performance by members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, a performance by members of TensOrChops, a digital media platform and entertainment company highlighting ballroom culture, community stories and current events, and a performance by artist/singer/rapper/fashionista Love Jones Monroe.
Music for the After Black after-party will be provided by the band Emerald City.
The evening starts at 5 p.m. with a complimentary pre-Dinner cocktail reception in the Lone Star Ballroom pre-convene area on the second floor, and the invitation-only B4Black Reception in the Houston Ballroom on the third floor. The doors to the Lone Star Ballroom open at 6 p.m., and the evening’s main event — the Black Tie Dinner — starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Lone Star Ballroom. All dinner guests are invited to attend the AfterBlack Party immediately following the dinner in the Houston Ballroom.
For more information, visit BlackTie.org.