Pride in the Desert

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 are 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. It happened at Himmel Park on June 26, 1977, also the National Gay Pride Day that year.[4]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

Tucson Pride