Pride in the Desert

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Pride in the Desert is the annual LGBTQ pride event for Tucson, Arizona. [1]

Contents

Similar to Phoenix Pride, Tucson does not hold a pride parade in the traditional month of June, due to high summer temperatures in Arizona. [2]

History

The history of gay pride events in Tucson began after the 1976 murder of Richard Heakin. [1] Heakin, who lived in Nebraska, visited a friend in Tucson and was beaten to death by four teenagers while exiting a bar named Stonewall Tavern. [3] The attackers were subsequently tried as juveniles, and sentenced to probation. [2] At the time, hate crimes were often not punished at all. [3] Heakin's murder became a motivation behind the foundation of Tucson Pride. [1]

The first Tucson pride event, organized by an organization named Tucson Gay Coalition, was named the Gay Pride Festival & Memorial Picnic. [4] It was held at Himmel Park on June 26, 1977, also the National Gay Pride Day that year. [5]

In 1982, the Tucson Gay Pride Festival was cancelled amidst a statewide call to fight against LGBT discrimination and oppression, and the event was turned into a civil rights march from Tucson to Phoenix. [5]

Since 1994, pride in Tucson is held in October. [2]

In 2018, the parade, which was traditionally scheduled to take place on a Friday evening before the festival, was rescheduled to daytime hours, due to concerns within the LGBTQ+ community that holding a parade during the evening hours sends a bad message, as if the community is hiding in the shadows. [6] In 2019 more than 5,000 people attended the event. [4] [7]

Over the years, Pride in the Desert has become a more family-centric theme. [2]

Pride in the Desert became a virtual event for 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event took place on October 24. [8] The event returned in-person in 2022, which was also the event's 45th anniversary. [4] [7] [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Tucson Pride". Tucson Pride. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cruz, Veronica M. (October 8, 2009). "Community forged by tragedy". Arizona Daily Star . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Cobian, Gabriella (October 6, 2020). "Tucson Pride, its history and its 2020 parade". Arizona Daily Wildcat . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Simmons, Anne (2022-09-30). "Tucson Pride 2022 celebrates 45 years". KGUN 9 Tucson News. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  5. 1 2 "1969-1984 · LGBT History in Arizona". ASU Library. Arizona State University . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  6. Wadding, Megan (September 22, 2018). "New Beginnings in Tucson". Echo Magazine. No. October 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Cassandra, Scott (30 September 2022). "Tucson Pride returns this weekend with parade, Reid Park festival". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  8. Morales, Joshua (August 15, 2020). "Tucson Pride 2020 going virtual". KOLD-TV . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  9. "'Tucson Pride Festival 2021' postponed until next year". KGUN 9 Tucson News. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2023-01-10.

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