Pride in the Desert

Last updated

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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwan Pride</span> Annual LGBT pride parade in Taipei and other cities of the Republic of China

Taiwan Pride is the annual LGBTQ pride parade in Taiwan. The parade was first held in 2003. Although joined by groups from all over the country, the primary location has always been the capital city of Taipei. The parade held in October 2019 attracted more than 200,000 participants, making it the largest gay pride event in East Asia. As of 2019, it is the largest in Asia ahead of Tel Aviv Pride in Israel, which is the largest in the Middle East. Taiwan LGBT Pride Community, the organizer of Taiwan LGBTQ Pride Parade, holds the parade on the last Saturday of October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Pride</span> One of the worlds largest LGBTQ events

The LA Pride Festival & Parade, commonly known as LA Pride, is an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest LGBTQ Pride events in the world, traditionally held on the second weekend of June, and produced by the Christopher Street West Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Pride (Ottawa)</span> Annual LGBT pride week festival in Ottawa, Ontario

Ottawa Capital Pride is an annual LGBT pride event, festival, and parade held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and Gatineau, Quebec, from mid to late August. Established in 1986, it has evolved into a 7 to 9-day celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, advocating for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the National Capital Region. The festival offers bilingual events in English and French, known as 'Capital Pride / Fierté dans la capitale', seamlessly blending local pride with national importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Manchester, England

Manchester Pride is a charity that campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality across the United Kingdom, predominantly in Greater Manchester. The Charity offers dialogue, training, research and policy analysis, advocacy and outreach activities focusing on LGBTQ+ rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WorldPride</span> International LGBTQ Pride celebration and parade

WorldPride is a series of international LGBT pride events coordinated by InterPride; they are hosted in conjunction with local LGBT pride festivals, with host cities selected via bids voted on during InterPride's annual general meetings. Its core events include opening and closing ceremonies, a pride parade, and an LGBT human rights conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Atlanta

Atlanta Pride, also colloquially called the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival, is a week-long annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) pride festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest and largest pride festivals in the United States. According to the Atlanta Pride Committee, as of 2017, attendance had continually grown to around 300,000. Originally a pride held in June, Atlanta Pride has been held in October every year since 2008, typically on a weekend closest to National Coming Out Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Pride</span> Annual LGBTQ+ event in Dublin, Ireland

The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival is an annual series of events which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) life in Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest LGBTQ+ pride festival on the island of Ireland. The festival culminates in a pride parade which is held annually on the last Saturday in June. The event has grown from a one-day event in 1974 to a ten-day festival celebrating LGBT culture in Ireland with an expanded arts, social and cultural content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Pride</span> LGBTQ+ Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix Pride is a parade and festival held each year in Phoenix, Arizona to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fierté Montréal</span> Annual LGBT event in Montreal, Quebec

Fierté Montréal, also called Montreal Pride, is an annual LGBT pride festival in Montreal, Quebec. The event was founded in 2007 at the initiative of Montreal’s LGBTQ+ communities after the city's prior Pride festival, Divers/Cité, repositioned itself as a general arts and music festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Arizona</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Arizona may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Arizona, and same-sex couples are able to marry and adopt. Nevertheless, the state provides only limited protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Several cities, including Phoenix and Tucson, have enacted ordinances to protect LGBT people from unfair discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Seattle, Washington

Seattle Pride refers to a series of events which are held annually throughout the month of June to celebrate LGBT Pride in Seattle, Washington. Seattle Pride also refers to the nonprofit organization Seattle Out and Proud which coordinates and promotes LGBTQIA+ events and programs in Seattle year-round including the Seattle Pride Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pride in Liverpool</span> Annual LGBT event in Liverpool, England

Pride in Liverpool, is an annual festival of LGBT culture which takes place across various locations in Liverpool City Centre including the gay quarter. Audience numbers reach up to 75,000 people, making it one of the largest free Gay Pride festivals in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in San Diego, California

San Diego Pride, also known as San Diego LGBT Pride, is a nonprofit organization with dozens of year-round programs including an annual weeklong celebration in San Diego, California every July, focusing on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The event features the Pride Parade on a Saturday, preceded by a block party and rally in the Hillcrest neighborhood the night before, and followed by a two-day Pride Festival on Saturday and Sunday in Balboa Park. Pride week is believed to be the largest civic event in the city of San Diego. The parade has more than 300 floats and entries and is viewed by a crowd of over 250,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucson Gay Museum</span> Museum in Tucson, Arizona

The Tucson Gay Museum maintains an extensive collection of archival materials, artifacts and graphic arts relating to the history of LGBT people in the United States, with a focus on the LGBT communities of Tucson, Arizona and Phoenix, Arizona. It became a member of the Arizona LGBTQIA+ Archives in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in New York City</span>

New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."

Tucson Lesbian and Gay Alliance, commonly known as Tucson Pride, is an American LGBT pride organization based in Tucson, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange City LGBT Pride March</span> Annual LGBT Pride event in Nagpur, India

Orange City LGBT Pride March or Nagpur Pride Parade is the pride march organised annually in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It was started in the year 2016. It is a festival to honour and celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and their supporters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBT community</span> Impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ+ community

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequities experienced by marginalized populations, and has had a significant impact on the LGBT community. Gay pride events were cancelled or postponed worldwide. More than 220 gay pride celebrations around the world were canceled or postponed in 2020, and in response a Global Pride event was hosted online. LGBTQ+ people also tend to be more likely to have pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma, HIV/AIDS, cancer, or obesity, that would worsen their chances of survival if they became infected with COVID-19. They are also more likely to smoke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pride Month</span> Month of celebrating LGBT culture

LGBT Pride Month, often shortened to Pride Month, is a month, typically June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride. Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969.

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.

Tucson Pride