Mirror Mirror

Sold-out Black Tie Dinner shimmers with fun & fundraising for LGBTQ+ Dallas

Now in its 42nd year, Black Tie Dinner took over the Sheraton Dallas on October 28 for an unforgettable evening of love, empowerment, and visibility in celebration of LGBTQ+ supportive organizations. Since its founding in 1982, Black Tie Dinner has raised nearly $30 million.

The theme this year, "Mirrorball," was reflected in the shiny, shimmering, sparkly, and reflective ensembles donned by the fashionable crowd of nearly 3,000, plus a mylar balloon tunnel entrance that proved great for photo opps.

Co-chairs Regina Lyn Pierce and Dustin Vyers, alongside the all-volunteer board of directors, put together a massive event that included a cocktail hour, expansive silent auction, performances, and speeches from this year's high-profile and hard-working award honorees.

Acclaimed LGBTQ+ pop star Vincint performed to both open and close the program, while emcee Megan Mitchell, an anchor and reporter for WFAA, kept the night's lengthy program moving.

For ease of reading, here's a list of the awards and their recipients:

Black Tie Dinner Equality Award: Dr. Eric Cervini, award-winning author, producer, and historian of LGBTQ+ politics
Media Award: Cynthia Nixon, award-winning actress and advocate
Richard Weaver Volunteer Award:Lisa Harris, senior manager for American Airlines
Visibility Award:Jesse James Keitel, actress and writer who helps further transgender representation in television
Kuchling Humanitarian Award:Portia Cantrell, retired trauma nurse who works with LGBTQ+ seniors in North Texas
Trailblazer Award:Trevor Wilkinson, third-year pre-law student at Texas Tech University who worked to create a more gender-neutral school dress code policy

Headliner Nixon saluted Black Tie Dinner’s beneficiaries as a source of hope, sometimes changing one life at a time, and also reflected on the “Mirrorball” theme: “This to me means at least two things – mirror back to the world, the world as you want to see it, and disco can heal."

Black Tie Dinner also awards John Thomas Scholarship funds to tireless and deserving volunteers in the community. The fund honors the legacy of John Thomas, who was an activist in the streets as well as in the business suites. This year's recipients are:

Barry Brody, Uptown Players
Alfonso Mendez, AIDS Services of Dallas
Orion Tupper, Pride Frisco
Connor Winston, Pride Frisco
Parris Greer, Legacy Cares

Following the dinner and speeches, the famous AfterBlack Party kept everyone dancing long into the night.

Photo by Bryan Chatlien

Guests popped confetti canons while donations soared.

Each year, Black Tie Dinner selects up to 20 nonprofit organizations from North Texas as local beneficiaries of its fundraising, as well as the Human Rights Campaign Foundation as its national beneficiary. This year's beneficiaries include:

AIDS Services of Dallas
Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star
Black Trans Advocacy Coalition
Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ
Coalition for Aging LGBT
Dallas Hope Charities
Equality Texas Foundation
Help Center for LGBT Health & Wellness
Legacy Cares
Northaven United Methodist Church
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas
Pride Frisco
Resource Center
Synergy Wesley Foundation
Texas Health Action
The Women's Chorus of Dallas
Turtle Creek Chorale
Uptown Players

Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson, the first black queer woman to lead the organization, delivered a powerful speech on the never-ending fight for equality. “You show this whole nation what it means to never give up and to never give in when it comes to our rights and our families,” she said to cheers and applause.

Mark your calendars for next year: the 43rd Annual Black Tie Dinner will be held November 16, 2024.

Hat's Off

Outrageous hats descend upon Dallas Arboretum at Mad Hatter's 2025

Photo by ASHGPHOTO

The Masters Mavens group won best in show.

When springtime hits the South, there is plenty to celebrate, from gorgeous weather to The Masters golf tournament, Jazz Fest, the Kentucky Derby, and Dallas Blooms at the Dallas Arboretum, just to name a few.

All that and more found its way onto chic chapeaus and sky-high hats at Mad Hatter's 2025, themed "Celebrating Spring in the South." The epic fundraising luncheon sponsored by the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum assists with the development, growth, and maintenance of A Woman’s Garden, a major garden at the Arboretum.

Mad Hatter's 2025 Margo Johnson, Lauren Swope, Cathrine Rowsey, Nina Byrd, Chelsea Hargrave, Lauren Ott, Ashley Newton, Emily Fuquay Photo by ASHGPHOTO

Photo by ASHGPHOTO

The Masters Mavens group won best in show.

Chair Sara Friedman, honorary chair Cindy Feld, and Women's Council president Therese Rourk welcomed fashionably dressed guests to Ginsburg Plaza at the Dallas Arboretum on April 17, where wine, champagne, and specialty cocktails like mint juleps, bellinis, ranch waters, and the pink-hued Azalea were waiting.

Kristyn Potter (@acaeventdesigns) captured the flirty, floral fashions with live sketches, while a lively and talented trio comprised of students from Lake Highlands High School Jazz Ensemble kept spirits high.

The Mad Hatter's extensive silent auction drew plenty of interest, with restaurant gift cards, beauty treatments, jewelry, and travel all on offer.

Those interested in competing for blue ribbons paraded their expertly crafted millinery before judges Amanda Shufeldt, Anne Stodghill, Ezé Azenabor-Grembowski, Kameron Westcott, Sharon Lee Clark, and John Clutts, before the jazz trio led a vibrant second line into Rosine Hall for the fashion show.

Mad Hatter's 2025 The Taste of the Masters group.Photo by ASHGPHOTO

Presented by NorthPark Center and produced by Jan Strimple, with NBC 5 anchor Laura Harris serving as emcee, the fresh fashions were as light as a spring breeze. Looks were from Etro, Maje, Me + Em, Nordstrom, Sandro, Scanlan Theodore, and St. John, with beauty by Glossier and jewelry from Eiseman Jewels.

The hat winners then got their own turn on the runway:

Dallas Blooms (best use of fresh botanicals): Maryam Brown
Kentucky Derby (most elegant): Christine Phelan
Mardi Gras (most over-the-top, outrageous creation): Debbie Murray
Jazz Fest (best group): Taste of the Masters
Round Top (people’s choice): Mandi Bonilla
The Masters (best in show): Masters Mavens group

Mad Hatter's 2025 Emcee — and self-proclaimed Georgia peach —Laura Harris.Photo by ASHGPHOTO

Guests were then invited to sit down to a lovely lunch of chilled avocado soup and mixed greens topped with sous-vide chicken, marinated tenderloin, and a fried green tomato, all drizzled with peach-hot honey dressing. A Bananas Foster tart proved a sweet ending to a positively enchanting day at the Dallas Arboretum.

fundraisers dallas arboretum fashion luncheons