TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Earlier this year when the Pride parade and festival were canceled, and Tucson Pride announced it was permanently closing, many in the community anticipated a void. This June, the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF) is filling that gap — and turning concern into action — with a monthlong slate of events, screenings, fundraisers and outreach designed to "keep Pride alive."
SAAF, southern Arizona’s only community-based HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support organization for nearly 30 years, announced a calendar running May 29–June 30 that mixes celebration with service.
"Now more than ever, Pride is about more than celebration — it’s about survival," said SAAF CEO Carlos A. Hernández in the group’s release. Hernández framed the month as both a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience and an urgent response to the threats the community currently faces. He said SAAF exists "to stand in that gap," providing prevention, care and support.
PRE PRIDE
Pride season kicks off May 29–31 with Revolution Gardens with LOOKOUT AZ, a community gathering celebrating Pride and partnership in Tucson, alongside the Reveille Men's Chorus Concert: "When Will I Be Loved — A Linda Ronstadt Celebration Concert."
On May 31, Michael Kors launches its Pride Collection as part of a fundraiser benefiting SAAF. The event features snacks, beverages, raffles and gift-with-purchase giveaways.
ALL MONTH LONG
SAAF is presenting The Loft Cinema Pride Series, featuring special screenings of:
• "Stop! That! Train!" opens Friday, June 12, Details TBD.
• "My Own Private Idaho" – Tuesday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
• "Paris Is Burning" – Tuesday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m.
SAAF’s calendar runs May 29 through June 30, with several headline events:
June 3 — Get Learnt with Christine Arbor, M.Ed., Crooked Tooth Brewing Co.
June 6 — Special Pride Event with Golden Gravy at La Rosa.
June 11 — In partnership with Tucson Queer Story, SAAF presents a special screening of "Murdered at First Sight Season 3: Love and Hate," in memory of Philip Walsted, who was murdered in Tucson in 2002. Free at the Thornhill Lopez Center on 4th Ave.
June 13 — Out West Tucson at Old Tucson Studios brings a western-themed Pride celebration to the historic venue.
June 19–21 — SAAF is a community partner at the Bisbee Pride Festival in Bisbee, Ariz., providing prevention and programming outreach alongside the parade and performances.
June 21 — Drag Brunch at High Wire Tucson Hosted by Allonna Dee features high-energy drag performances, with a portion of proceeds donated to SAAF.
June 27 — SAAF tables and presents at the Pride Event at Gym 244, an annual open-to-the-public workout at 10 a.m.
June 28 — Pride Uncancelled at the Rock (136 N. Park Ave., Tucson) is an open-to-the-public Pride celebration. brunches, fitness events and outreach tables.
For Tucson’s LGBTQ+ community and allies who watched last year’s official Pride collapse with concern, SAAF’s aims for its efforts to read as both an act of resilience and a practical commitment: keeping visibility, services and remembrance — including the memory of victims like Philip Walsted — at the center of Pride this year.
