More Fun Gay Events in Tucson and Southern Arizona

Treasures For TIHAN – Live And Silent Auction

Tony Ray Baker
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Treasures For TIHAN – Live And Silent Auction

Combining delicious cocktails and food, great music, and wonderfully unique auction items, Treasures for TIHAN is the perfect date-night event for the Tucson community.

Tucson Pride on Parade 2015

Tony Ray Baker
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Tucson Pride on Parade 2015
Before I dive into the review, I would like to take a moment to thank all the great parade participants whom worked hard and dressed up and displayed the true diversity in Tucson.  I would also like to especially thank the fun and welcoming crowd which hooted and hollered and came together to celebrate our diversity.
Pride on Parade 2015 was probably the most active and well-attended Tucson Pride Parade I have ever been to.  The floats were elaborate and colorful and the costumes and makeup were absolutely fabulous!  It was perfectly staged on the busiest downtown avenue and the weather gave us a vintage Tucson Fall evening, with cool temperatures and an amazing sunset backdrop.
 
Grand Marshall’d by the inimitable Tempest DuJour (looking fantastic as always), the floats and parade entrants really stole the show.  From the hilariously under-costumed Old Lesbians Organizing for Change to the full-blown costumes worn by the Rocky Horror Picture Show cast, you could easily identify with each of them.  Then the rolling party that is the SAAF long-bed float crawls past and you can’t help but smile as you catch candy and Mardi Gras beads affixed with condoms.  I can finally write this: “The event truly offered something for everyone” 🙂
 
The Tucson Pride on Parade couldn’t have been any better planned or executed.  It was a wonderful time for the entire family to come out and honor the common differences that provide spice and excitement to our community.  I can’t wait to see what they come up with next time!

Pride in the Park 2017

Tony Ray Baker
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Pride in the Park 2017
It

Pride In The Park 2017!

"Gay

2017 Pride is going to be so amazing! It happens to be the 40th anniversary of Tucson Pride. After a night of celebrating the Gay Pride on Parade down 4th Avenue, keep the party going, all the way to Reid Park.

Tucson Pride supports local businesses, drag performers, live stage entertainment, and so much more! Come show some love for your hosts Bunny Fufu and Tori Steel as they present an onslaught of talent for your entertainment. And not just local Tucson Pride talent either. There will be performers from all over the state as well as some national talent.

Each year Tucson Pride in the Park attracts over 4000 visitors who all agree that love is love. Please come join us.

Tickets are still available to purchase:

  • General-$15
  • *VIP-$75
  • Students, Seniors, and Military-$12 (must provide proof at the gate)
  • Kids 12 & Under FREE
  • Group discounts for 5 or more also available at 10% off

*VIP tickets to Pride in the Park 2017 include Fast access into the festival, VIP parking, 2 free drinks, 1 food ticket (in VIP area only), front access to the stage, meet and greet with performers, covered tent with A/C, cool giveaways throughout the day and so much more. (limited tickets, so get yours now!)

Have a great day,

TonyRay

Senior Pride Zoom Event Schedule

Tony Ray Baker
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Senior Pride Zoom Event Schedule

Just like everywhere else, COVID-19 has shuttered the landscape of local events in Tucson. We have been keeping an active calendar of all the amazing things to do in Tucson for almost 10 years. Sadly this is the fewest events we have ever seen so please attend some! Firstly, many people are becoming more and more savvy with technology and forward-looking organizations have moved their events online. So please keep reading to learn about all the wonderful virtual gatherings you can attend with our Southern Arizona Senior Pride Zoom Meeting Schedule!

What Is The Senior Pride Zoom Event Schedule?

Senior Pride has long been one of the most active community organization in Tucson. They regularly hold support groups, fun events, and learning workshops. This is to keep us informed as we move through the later stages of our lives.

Some of their re-occurring groups include:

Southern Arizona Senior Pride Zoom Meeting Schedule
The Zoom Meeting Featuring TPD Representatives will be Illuminating
  • Senior Pride AA Meeting, Every Monday, 7-8:00pm. This is an open meeting, available to all persons with interest in the AA program of recovery. For example the format is Step Meeting (12×12), reading and discussing selections from the AA publication, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. To attend, please send meeting coordinator your email address: aasrlgbt@gmail.com
  • Senior Pride Speaker Series – A wonderful group that has brought in some of Tucson’s luminaries to address our community. For instance the Speaker Series is a powerful way to learn more about what is happening in the community. This event comesis to you by the real movers and shakers in Tucson. The next event occurs on Tuesday, June 9, 2-3:00 pm, so go sign up. Topic: Safety for Older Adults: Beware of Scams, Making Homes Secure, and Fall Prevention. Presented by: Margo Susco, Tucson Police Department’s Community Engagement Coordinator, and TPD volunteer Allan Tractenberg because these issues are critical to our aging community. Request your Zoom invitation link and password by email to info@soazseniorpride.org
  • Senior Pride Book Club – The Book Club meets monthly to discuss the current selection. They often host roundtables with authors and publishers and help bring context to the selected narrative. So the next Book club meeting occurs on Wednesday, June 17, at 2-3:30 pm. They will be discussing this month’s selection: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel, by Ocean Vuong. In this first novel by the 2019 MacArthur “Genius” Award winning poet. It comes in the form of a letter from a son to his mother regarding the effects of the Vietnam War, however she doesn’t want to listen. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/05/729691730/on-earth-is-gorgeous-all-the-way-through The book was on the long-list by the National Book Awards in 2019. So remember, you must request your Zoom invitation link and password by email to: info@soazseniorpride.org

What Else?

Southern Arizona Senior Pride’s will send you a Zoom invitation that provides an easy-to-use link to access the meeting. In order to get this invitation, you must first send your request to one of the email addresses listed above. Please be sure to include your desired meeting date, time, and a description of the event. We want to make Senior Pride sends the proper meeting link. To learn more about Zoom visit the “Meetings and Support Groups” section of their website www.soazseniorpride.org

SAAF Jello Wrestling

Tony Ray Baker
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SAAF Jello Wrestling
SAAF Jello Wrestling has grown to become one of Tucson’s most anticipated yearly events!  From the glamorous costumes to the hilarious personas, you’re going to love the pageantry and air of theatre that pervades the entire event. However, once the competitors are in the green ooze, then you truly see the captivating spectacle for what it is.  It’s friends and lovers, in the spirit of teamwork and competition, locked in intense combat.  It’s that raw, animalistic spirit that animates the entire event and makes SAAF’s Jello Wrestling such a wonderful thing to do in Tucson!

How Jello Wrestling Came to Tucson

This is the tale of Reno Gannon. In 1987, while tending bar at a local watering hole entitled “Rumor Hazzitt”, he went on vacation to Mexico and came back with a fantastic fundraising event. Wrestling in vats of Jell-O! Together with the owner of Rumor Hazzitt, they pulled together the first such event!  It was a fundraiser for Shanti, an early AIDS Service Organization that merged with other local agencies to form Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation. The tale of Reno has a tragic end, however, as this wonderful, loving man was cut down at the precocious age of 23 by the scourge of AIDS.  To this day, the Jello Wrestling event remains a memorial to his legacy.

What Happens at SAAF Jello Wrestling?

SAAF Jello Wrestling is a team sport.  Each team of wrestlers raises funds to wrestle during a pit of Jell-O, typically with extraordinary costumes and characters. Between wrestling matches, the Drag Diva Hostesses will run a live auction that includes a wide range of fantastic items to titillate the crowd. Funds raised through Jell-O Wrestling assist SAAF with their awesome mission of cultivating a healthy & stigma-free society through transformative action.

How Can I Help?

Wrestling in the SAAF Jello Wrestling event is an awesome way to support the programs and services of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF). All wrestlers should raise a minimum of $500 in sponsorships. With the addition of online giving through the SAAF website, raising sponsorships can be done with an email!  Find Out More Here:
Wrestle/Sponsor a Wrestler
Not the wrestling type?  Don’t worry, there are tons of volunteer opportunities at SAAF Jello Wrestling! Visit this page to choose what you’d like to do and when!
Volunteer
Have a great day, Tony Ray 🙂

Wingspan Dinner

Tony Ray Baker
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Wingspan Dinner
Moving Forward
The Wingspan Annual Benefit Dinner
September 20, 2008
Wingspan’s Benefit Dinner – 20 years on September 20th
 
This years event was very well done.  The silent auction was well organized and a great time to catch up and socialize.  The appetizers (cheese, fruits and veggies) looked beautiful and there were plenty of bars so very small lines if any.   The dinner tables looked great (see photos below) and so did the room. The centerpieces were beautiful and in hindsight I wish I had bought one.   Jason Cianciotto, the new Executive Director of Wingspan, gave a strong and meaningful speech.  I took a photo of him on the big screen (see below).  I have had the pleasure of meeting Jason several times before the dinner and I am definitely impressed and excited to see what changes he will bring.  Personally, I think Jason is just what Wingspan needs to move forward. 
 
Tony Ray
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