BREAKING NEWS: Black Tie Dinner adds Crockett, Johnson to dinner line-up

Texas Congresswomen Julie Johnson, left, and Jasmine Crockett have just been announced as speakers at the 2025 Black Tie Dinner

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Officials with the Black Tie Dinner announced today (Friday, Oct. 10), that Congresswomen Jasmine Crockett and Julie Johnson have just been added as featured speakers for the event.

“Their addition brings two barrier-breaking Texas voices to a night that celebrates leadership, visibility and unity across the LGBTQ+ community,” according to a press release about the announcement.

Crockett, who represents District 30, is a “North Texas leader known for her authenticity and commitment to equality” and who “brings a powerful voice to an evening centered on resilience and representation,” the press release notes.

Johnson, representing Texas’s 32nd Congressional District, made history in 2024 as the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress not just from Texas but from the South as a whole. She is also the first woman to represent District 32. A longtime advocate for patient protection and insurance reform, Johnson continues to champion equality in Washington.

Both Johnson’s and Crockett’s districts were heavily impacted this year when the Texas Legislature, at the behest of Donald Trump, redrew district lines to add six Republican seats to the Texas congressional delegation.

 Johnson’s district was heavily-gerrymandered to stretch from northeast Tarrant County eastward beyond Gilmer, nearing the Texas-Louisiana border, in an effort to return it to Republican control.

Crockett’s district remains primarily democratic, but the lines were redrawn so that her residence no longer falls within the district’s boundaries.

This year’s lineup for Black Tie Dinner also includes:

• Jim Obergefell, Obergefell v. Hodges plaintiff, who is receiving the Equality Award

• Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, who is receiving the Kuchling Humanitarian Award

• Carl Nassib, the NFL’s first openly gay active player, who will deliver featured remarks

• Singer-songwriter and actress Hayley Orrantia, a Dallas native, who will be performing live, and

• Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

“The additions of Congresswomen Crockett and Johnson add to the momentum of a night that brings together more than 2,000 guests in support of LGBTQ+ causes across North Texas,” according to the press release. “Limited tables and tickets remain; reserve yours today.

— Tammye Nash