Show Us Your Awesome Talent at the 2022 Tucson Gay Pride in October!

Tony Ray Baker
-
0
Show Us Your Awesome Talent at the 2022 Tucson Gay Pride in October!

While national Pride month has come and gone we still have the 45th annual Tucson Pride to look forward to in October! Here’s a little info on the upcoming festivities and how you can get involved if you’re interested in the open entertainment call.

Pride Weekend

Kick off the weekend on Friday, September 30th with the Pride Parade. Registration will be open soon so stay tuned.

The official Pride Festival is on October 1st from 12:00-10:00 PM at the Georges DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park. If you’d like to be a vendor registration is now open, hurry before all the best spots are snatched up!

Pride Brunch is on Sunday at Highwire Lounge, stay tuned for details. This is a great chance to unwind from the crazy weekend’s festivities and catch up with friends you might have missed at the park. Do you know any LGBTQ people who don’t love a good brunch? Neither do we.

The Open Entertainment Call

Image of 3 drag queens posing with a girlAre you an entertainer or performer of some type? Do you enjoy the feeling of the crowd’s adoration washing over you? Well now is your chance to apply to be a part of Tucson Pride 2022. They are currently looking for bands, dancers, comedians, DJ’s, drag performers, track entertainers, and more!

If you think you’ve got what it takes you have until July 31st to get your application in. You’ll need to include a letter of interest along with video samples or links to your work for review. Now is the time to showcase your talent! Spots are limited so we encourage you to act fast. Send submissions to NancyN@TucsonPride.Org

Just visiting?

Do you have friends or family coming into town to celebrate with you? Well, Tucson Pride just announced the official hotel for this year. Make your reservations at The Graduate, located off Main Gate Square at the University of Arizona. This hotel is shiny and new with eclectic design elements that showcase the beauty of the Sonoran Desert.

Rooftop image of the Graduate TucsonWe’re talking rooftop heated swimming pool, firepits, and a bar and restaurant just for starters! Yes, all of that is on the roof. You can also bring your furry family with you if you like. This is going to be the place for after-parties so book your stay now.

If you have any questions about the upcoming festivities you can send them to information@TucsonPride.Org.

 

 

 

Tucson Gay Pride 2008

Tony Ray Baker
-
0
Tucson Gay Pride 2008

Gay Pride Celebrations

Tony Ray Baker
-
0
Gay Pride Celebrations

Tucson is lucky enough to have two Gay Pride celebrations annually visit our fabulous community. The first Gay Pride occurs in June, which coincides with the Stonewall Rebellion and subsequent public demonstrations. The second Pride comes a bit later in the year. That time is finally upon us! Join us as we celebrate with two iconic events: Tucson Pride Parade and Pride in the Desert.

Pride Parade 2019

Gay Pride Celebrations
Tucson Pride Parade 2019

The Tucson Pride Parade has a long, rich history in our community. This year will watch the procession proceed from Broadway / Craycroft and head towards Reid Park, where we will meet up with the festival.

I am so happy Tucson Pride decided to hold the Pride Parade immediately before the festival. The parade used to be organized on the night before, while allowed for some fantastic after-parties, it meant the two events were disunited from each other with little overlap. By having one naturally lead into the other, the Pride Parade and the festival will have increased synergy and provide an even better representation of our amazing community!

For even more information about our gay pride celebrations; Tucson Pride Parade 2019, check out the GayTucson Calendar!

Gay Pride celebrations: Pride in the Desert 2019

Gay Pride Celebrations
Tucson Pride in the Desert 2019

Pride in the Desert (or Park) has always been the flagship event of Tucson Pride weekend. Featuring hilarious hosts, marvelous musical performances and fantastic shows, Pride in the Desert truly has something for everyone. There are adorable shops with Pride souvenirs and phenomenal fashion vendors to get you looking your best. It is a wonderfully welcoming, safe space for everyone to be themselves and have a blast!

Find out everything else you could ever need to know about Tucson Pride in the Desert 2019 at the GayTucson Calendar!

SAAF AIDSWALK

Tony Ray Baker
-
0
SAAF AIDSWALK
 AIDSWALK Tucson
Get ready to bust out those cross-trainers, ’cause this will be the BIGGEST AIDSWALK yet… in Tucson at least. This year AIDSWALK has teamed up with Tucson Meet Yourself (TMY) and has moved downtown for a three day event.
 
AIDSWALK is such a fun and beautiful event that has become one of my favorites. If you’ve never experienced AIDSWALK, then I highly recommend you come join us.
 
What is AIDSWALK?  AIDSWALK is a family and pet-friendly walkathon fundraiser with the goal of increasing awareness and support for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. The money raised at AIDSWALK Tucson benefits the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF). Each year SAAF provides services to nearly 1200 people living with HIV and AIDS and delivers targeted prevention outreach and education programs to over 17,000 people who are high-risk for infection.
 
This year is a special year for AIDSWALK. Because of its collaboration with Tucson Meet Yourself, AIDSWALK will have exposure to over 100,000 people! This is a great opportunity to help raise awareness and fight the dangerous stigma that still surrounds HIV/AIDS today.
 
For more information on AIDSWALK and how you can participate, please fisit AIDSWALKTucson.org.

Wingspan Dinner

Tony Ray Baker
-
0
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

SAAF Jello Wrestling

Tony Ray Baker
-
0
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 🙂
1234...6Page 3 of 6