Singer/actor/activist Bill Porter will speak at the 2019 Black Tie Dinner

Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor Billy Porter, star of Kinky Boots on Broadway and the ground-breaking series Pose on television will be one of the special guest speakers being honored this year at DFW’s Black Tie Dinner.

Black Tie officials made the announcement this morning (Monday, Aug. 19), noting that BTD is “honoring Billy Porter for his positive impact and contributions to the LGBTQ community.” This year’s event is set for Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Dallas, centered around the theme “Be.”

A singer, actor and activist, Porter won the Tony Award for best actor in a musical and a Grammy Award for best musical theater album with his role as Lola in the smash Broadway hit Kinky Boots. He currently stars as ball announcer/community patriarch Pray Tell in the FX Television series Pose, a role for which he has been nominated for a Golden Globe award and an Emmy Award. He is the first openly gay black man nominated for an Emmy as best actor.

Black Tie Co-Chair Nathan Robbins said, “Billy has positively impacted and made powerful contributions to the LGBTQ community for decades. We are excited to honor him at the 38th annual Black Tie Dinner this year.”

Don Maison, who led AIDS Services of Dallas for 30 years before retiring at the beginning of this year, has already been announced as Black Tie’s 2019 Kuchling Humanitarian Award winner. More speakers and award winners will be named at the annual 30-Day Countdown event on Thursday, Oct. 3 at Park Place Mercedes. That event will be hosted by WFAA Sportscaster and activist Dale Hansen.

Black Tie Co-Chair Jeremy Hawpe noted that tickets to and additional information about the Black Tie Dinner, it’s beneficiaries and this year’s event are available online at BlackTie.org.

The DFW Black Tie Dinner is the largest event of its kind in the nation and since its inception in 1982 has raised more than $23 million for LGBTQ and allied organizations in North Texas and the national Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

— Tammye Nash