SAAF Jello Wrestling

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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 🙂

SAAF Moda Provacateur

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Moda Provacateur: A Runway Show Done the Fun Way

Raising funds for programs and services of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation

The first Moda Provacateur, held in 2004, was created by Kevin Casey from Avalon for Hair, Skin and Nails after he participated in ‘Crème de la Do’ in 2003, a fashion and style show organized by an agency in Albuquerque helping to raise funds for local HIV/AIDS agencies around the country. Since 2004, Moda Provacateur has raised more than $141,000 in support of SAAF’s programs and services. The incredible, continued support for Moda Provacateur from the local salons, boutiques and businesses through their participation and underwriting of the cost of the event, helps to build tradition and ultimately, the success of this exciting fundraiser.

Retro Game Show Night

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Retro Game Show Night Retro Game Show Night is a hilarious event held every 2nd Saturday at Hotel Congress.  Hosted by Tempest DuJour, Retro Game Show Night takes a fun new spin on old game shows from the 80’s and 90’s.  Complete with high-quality lighting and stage setup, you become fully immersed in the event and will howl and laugh along with the rest of the audience.  Feeling brave?  Enter your name to become a contestant to win some amazing prizes!  Check the Calendar for the next event and join GayTucson.com on the 2nd Saturday of each month for Retro Game Show Night at Hotel Congress!

G3 – Tucson’s Gay Happy Hour

G3 Tucson Gay and Lesbian Happy Hour
G3 Tucson Gay and Lesbian Happy Hour

G3 Tucson

G3 is Tucson’s premier social event planning group for Tucson’s gay community and their friends. They host a gay happy hour that takes place minimum every month usually lasting from 5:30 to 8:30PM at a different pop-up locations around town. G3 often features great DJ’s and drink specials to keep the night going! Looking to wrap up the work week with a few friends and some fun? G3 is a great way to hang out with friends and meet new people in a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. G3 seeks out unique Tucson locations to host their monthly get-together. From exciting downtown nightclubs to newly-minted restaurants, G3 offers a new experience with each event! The organizing staff also spares no expense with the decor and ambiance to truly pull you into the event. With awesome drink specials and food options and a popular DJ spinning the tunes, every G3 is a better party than the last! G3 Gay Happy hour is an inclusive event for the entire Tucson population, but it caters to the gay guy community providing diverse entertainment options. You are welcome regardless of gender, identity or sexual orientation! Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Trans but the only thing is this group is strictly 21 and over because the events always include alcohol. As the location changes with each month, be sure to check our blog for updates on the next great G3 Happy Hour event and other events like pool parties. We always post G3’s events on our blog and have been for a long time. GayTucson.com has noticed that the events seem to keep getting better and better and more and more extravagant as time goes on. The community is growing! You must go see for yourself. If you type in G3 into our search bar you can look at the posts about their past events or Find out more about G3 Tucson here.

Tucson Gay Pride 2015

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Tucson Gay Pride 2015 Event Schedule

Tucson Pride on Parade 2015

October 9, 2015 @ 6pm – Starts at 8th St. and 4th Ave

Over the past 15 years the Tucson Pride Parade has grown to become a central part of the Tucson Gay Pride celebration. 2014 promises to take the event to the next level! Pride on Parade will begin at Catalina Park on 2nd St. at 6:00 PM on Saturday, October 11th. We will proceed to 4th ave. and take a right, leading to our destination on 4th and 8th St.

The most important thing is to get involved. The focus of Pride on Parade is to allow everyone to be themselves, some come have a blast with us at the block party at the end of the parade!

Thats right, this year the Tucson Pride Parade has joined with Sky Bar to provide a Block Party from 7pm to 10pm. It’ll be the best place to grab a drink after the long parade march ; )

Pride In The Desert 2015

October 16, 2015 @ 12pm – Kino Sports Complex

Tucson Pride presents its 38th Annual LGBTQ Pride Festival . $50. VIP. Advance tickets can be bought on-line at http://tucsonpride.org/ Advance purchase tickets can be picked up at the will-call table at the entrance on the day of the event.

Pride 2015 After-Party

October 16th, 2015 @ 8pm – PlayGround Lounge

Come to the office Tucson Pride After-Party hosted by PlayGround Lounge. Enjoy the night on Tucson’s Largest Outdoor Bar Patio with great friends and custom Pride-Inspired cocktails.

Tucson Pride on Parade 2015

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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!