Pride in the Desert explained

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.[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.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Tucson Pride . Tucson Pride . March 18, 2020.
  2. News: Cruz . Veronica M. . Community forged by tragedy . March 18, 2020 . . October 8, 2009.
  3. News: Cobian . Gabriella . Tucson Pride, its history and its 2020 parade . January 1, 2021 . . October 6, 2020.
  4. Web site: Simmons . Anne . 2022-09-30 . Tucson Pride 2022 celebrates 45 years . 2023-01-10 . KGUN 9 Tucson News . en.
  5. Web site: 1969-1984 ยท LGBT History in Arizona. ASU Library. Arizona State University. March 18, 2020.
  6. News: Wadding . Megan . New Beginnings in Tucson . January 1, 2021 . Echo Magazine . October 2018 . September 22, 2018.
  7. Web site: Cassandra . Scott . 30 September 2022 . Tucson Pride returns this weekend with parade, Reid Park festival . 2023-01-10 . Arizona Daily Star . en.
  8. News: Morales . Joshua . Tucson Pride 2020 going virtual . January 1, 2021 . . August 15, 2020.
  9. Web site: 2021-08-24 . 'Tucson Pride Festival 2021' postponed until next year . 2023-01-10 . KGUN 9 Tucson News . en.