PRESS CONTACT: John McGill Black Tie Dinner PR [email protected] TONY® & GRAMMY® AWARD-WINNER BILLY PORTER TO BE HONORED AT THE 38th ANNUAL BLACK TIE DINNER August 19, 2019 (DALLAS) – Black Tie Dinner – the nation’s largest, one night LGBTQ fundraising dinner – is just 75 days away and is gearing up for another evening of empowerment, education and entertainment. This year’s 38th annual dinner will be full of equality-driven award recipients and inspirational speakers, including Tony & Grammy award-winner Billy Porter. The annual dinner attracts more than 2,500 attendees and has raised over 23 million dollars for local and national beneficiaries since its inception. The theme of this year’s dinner is “Be” and the event takes place on Saturday, November 2nd, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Dallas. Black Tie Dinner will be honoring Billy Porter for his positive impact and contributions to the LGBTQ community. Billy is a performer, pop singer, actor and activist who is best known for his role as Lola in the Musical Kinky Boots, for which he won Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. He currently stars in the television series Pose, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. “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”, says Nathan Robbins, Black Tie Dinner Co- chair. The 2019 Kuchling Humanitarian Award recipient is Don Maison for his decades- long work in the DFW area for LGBTQ rights. Additional announcements of presenters and guests will occur at the annual 30-Day Countdown event on Thursday, October 3rd at Park Place Mercedes, which will be hosted by WFAA Sportscaster and activist Dale Hansen. “We are thrilled to announce additional presenters and guests at our BLACK TIE DINNER, INC. 3824 CEDAR SPRINGS, #335 DALLAS, TEXAS 75219 WWW.BLACKTIE.ORG upcoming 30-Day Countdown event”, says Jeremy Hawpe, Black Tie Dinner co-chair. For tickets and additional information about the Black Tie Dinner, it’s beneficiaries, and the annual dinner, please visit blacktie.org. About Black Tie Dinner Black Tie Dinner is a non-profit organization that raises funds for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) supportive organizations serving North Texas through a premier event of empowerment, education, and entertainment. Since its inception in 1982, the event has grown into the nation's largest single-night LGBTQ fundraising dinner and has raised over $23 million for national and local beneficiaries. Black Tie Dinner continues to be the most successful dinner in the country supporting the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and has the distinction of being the only dinner also benefiting local beneficiaries. The annual dinner has had headliners such as Maya Angelou, Geena Davis, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, Connie Britton, Dustin Lance Black, and Beto O’Rourke. In addition to live entertainment, Black Tie Dinner honors outstanding service to the LGBTQ community with the Elizabeth Birch Equality Award, the Black Tie Dinner Media Award, and the Kuchling Humanitarian Award. Past recipients include Debra Messing, Greg Louganis, Elizabeth Birch, Sharon Stone, Judy Shepard, Alan Cumming, Showtime Networks/Robert Greenblatt, Bishop V. Gene Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Logo Network/Brian Graden, Chely Wright, American Airlines, Chaz Bono, JCPenney and Scouting For All founder Zach Wahl. For more information about Black Tie Dinner or this year’s event, visit blacktie.org. ### .