The Annual Hero Awards celebrates businesses and business owners who exemplify outstanding dedication, leadership, and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community in Greater Phoenix. This prestigious event recognizes individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond to foster inclusivity, champion equality, and create meaningful change. Honorees are leaders who inspire progress, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ rights, representation, and well-being. Their efforts strengthen our community, making Greater Phoenix a more equitable and welcoming place for all. The Hero Awards is an evening of celebration, featuring inspiring stories, impactful connections, and recognition of the exceptional contributions that drive our shared vision of equality.

https://www.equalitychamber.org/

The Phoenix Film Festival returns March 27 – April 6 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Over the past two decades, the Phoenix Film Festival has been a stage for thousands of aspiring filmmakers, debuting over 150 films annually. This year, the festival is continuing to spotlight diverse stories and storytellers including a fantastic lineup of LGBTQ+ films!

Here are some of the highlights. You can learn more about these films HERE and review the entire festival schedule HERE.

Jess Plus None

A reluctant maid-of-honor attends her best friend’s off-the-grid wedding in the woods, where she’s forced to confront her perfect ex-girlfriend, her more successful college friends, and every bad choice she’s made in her life so far.

Screening Time(s):
Friday, March 28 at 9:20am
Saturday, March 29 at 6:05pm
Sunday, March 30 at 1:40pm

This is Me

This is Me explores the challenges (from both within and society) that face the LGBTQ+ community. Transgender men and women must cope with being disowned by family and friends, hated by strangers, survive their internal struggles, to find the love and happiness that the rest of the world takes for granted.

Screening Time(s):
Saturday, March 29 at 1:25pm

Heightened Scrutiny

Heightened Scrutiny follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti). The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy itself. With insights from journalists like Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, and Gina Chua, and activists like Laverne Cox, the story dismantles anti-trans disinformation and highlights its devastating real-world impact. As SCOTUS prepares to rule on the case, Heightened Scrutiny reveals the fight for bodily autonomy as a fight for the soul of democracy, offering a powerful call to action against bigotry and injustice.

Screening Time(s):
Monday, Mar 31 at 2:25pm
Wednesday, April 2 at 9:15pm

Join the Club

After losing his lover to AIDS, rebel activist Dennis Peron launches the first public cannabis dispensary in the nation, skirting the law in pursuit of true justice–the legalization of medical marijuana.

Screening Time(s):
Friday, Apr 4 at 01:20pm
Saturday, Apr 5 at 08:05pm

Tickets are now on sale and you can get yours HERE! You won’t want to miss out on seeing these incredible films!

For more information, call 480-513-3195 or go to www.phoenixfilmfestival.com.

Record heat during the Pride Weekend 2024 in September was a major factor in making the decision.

Tucson, February 20, 2025: Tucson Pride announces Tucson Pride Weekend 2025 will be presented over November 21-23.

Since 2009, Tucson Pride Weekend has been held in late September or early October after moving from the national Pride month of June due to Tucson’s summer heat. However, in response to Tucson’s high temperatures extending past September over the last several years, Tucson Pride’s board of directors decided it was necessary to move Pride Weekend to a more temperate month.

“Tucson experienced record heat over the last weekend of September 2024 which, unfortunately, was Tucson Pride Weekend.” says board president, Jeff Myers-Fulgham. “The event dates are secured nearly a year out so there was no way we could have guessed Pride Weekend would be in the middle of a historic heat wave. The stress it put on our attendees, vendors, performers and volunteers was incredible. Within days of the Pride Weekend 2024 ending, we realized we needed to move it to a cooler month starting in 2025.”

Tucson Pride is excited for the move. “Tucson is absolutely beautiful in November. Besides giving our city a Pride Weekend during pleasant temperatures, we’re hoping to become a destination Pride event for our LGBTQIA+ community in colder cities” continues Myers-Fulgham, “Who wouldn’t want to get out of Minnesota in November for a fun-filled Pride Weekend in Tucson?”

Founded in 1977, Tucson Pride is the third-oldest LGBTQIA+ Pride celebration in the United States, following New York City and San Francisco. Tucson Pride is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is 100% volunteer driven.

Denver, CO, January, 2025 – Combining laughter and purpose, the nation-wide “Here to Pee” Tour, organized by trans activists and comedians, will kick off in Denver, Colorado. This first of its kind tour will stop in all 50 states highlighting trans performers and local LGBTQ+ organizations doing life saving work in their communities. In different cities across the country each show on the tour will feature and amplify trans voices as performers tackle both the challenges and joys of gender diversity through stand-up comedy that is as insightful as it is hilarious.

“We’re bringing trans visibility to every corner of the country. Although this tour is founded in potty humor, it sheds light on the very real, very menacing issue of barring trans people from accessing public spaces,” said organizer and trans activist Ren Q. Dawe. “but we are going to have the last laugh.”

Ren Q. Dawe, lead organizer of the “Here to Pee” Tour, saw firsthand the need for this groundbreaking tour after visiting 40 cities in 16 states and performing in front of over 10,000 people in 2024. In each city, members of the local trans community shared their own experiences and the ways that the current political climate has impacted their lives.

The increase of organized attacks on LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans people, have left LGBTQ+ community and advocacy groups scrambling for the necessary resources to support and protect their communities.

The organizers and performers on the tour are committed to helping local communities by donating a percentage of ticket proceeds to local nonprofits that serve the LGBTQ+ community and provide direct service to trans individuals.

A film crew led by award-winning documentarian Jeff Stonic will follow the tour, capturing not only the on-stage performances but also the heart of the project—each city’s unique activism efforts, the lives of those impacted by anti-trans legislation, and the communities rallying behind them. The film aims to shine a national spotlight on the importance of grassroots LGBTQ+ organizations, sharing their stories with audiences everywhere.

Tour Details and Communications
For tickets and more information on tour dates, cities, featured comedians and community partner organizations, follow @RenQComedy and @HereToPee on social media or visit www.heretopee.com.

Background Information

• Info

• “Here to Pee” Tour Website 
• “Here to Pee” Quotes from Associated Partners
• Graphics for West Coast Leg of the Tour
• Headshots and Bios for of Performers
• Documentarian: jeff stonic shot it 

• Press on the Here to Pee Tour

• Trans comedians have advice for Dave Chappelle | Out Magazine 
• Dear trans youth: messages from icons to trans youth | Out Magazine
• Trans Comedians Embark on 50-State Protest Tour | NYCTastemakers
• The Here to Pee Tour Champions Trans Visibility | Artist Weekly

Trans Bathrooms / Trans Rights Resources

• Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures | ACLU
• Bans on Transgender People Using Public Bathrooms and Facilities | MAP
• Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures | ACLU
• Bans on Transgender People Using Public Bathrooms and Facilities | MAP
• 4 Big Problems With Anti-Trans Bathroom Bills – and How You Can Help | GLSEN
• Transgender bathroom bills are back | NPR 

Tour Information

WEST COAST

• Saturday, March 1, 2025 | Boulder, CO @ Junkyard Social Club
• Tuesday, March 4, 2025 | Casper, WY @ Racca’s
• Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | Missoula, MT @ Western Montana LGBTQ+ Center
• Thursday, March 6, 2025 | Boise, ID @ The Lounge
• Friday, March 7, 2025 | Seattle, WA @ The Rendezvous (Jewelbox Theatre)
• Monday, March 10, 2025 | Portland, OR @ The Siren Theatre
• Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | Los Angeles, CA @ The Print Shop LA
• Saturday, March 15, 2025 | Reno, NV @ Carl’s Saloon
• Sunday, March 16, 2025 | Phoenix, AZ @ Boycott Bar
• Thursday, March 20, 2025 | Albuquerque, NM @ Sidewinders​