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

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]

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

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