TUCSON, Arizona – September 20, 2019 – Tucson Pride kicked off Pride Week 2019 with a royal affair at St. Philips Plaza. Following a commanding performance in the newly overhauled Tucson Pride Royalty Competition, Lucinda Holliday and Justin Deeper-Love were crowned as the 2019 Tucson Pride Royalty. Lucinda and Justin were crowned in matching crowns created by Tucson Pride sponsor, Krikawa Jewelry Designs. The pair also received performance crowns by Made for a Queen.
The fundraising duo ascended to royal status after raising a staggering $21,731.50 for Tucson Pride. The team’s strategy included a line-up of events ranging from traditional bar shows to two all ages brunch shows which featured youth entertainers. The team also sold candy and deserts. Team Purple took full advantage of a donation matching program at Intuit. A significant portion of funds raised by both teams were doubled as a result. Lucinda and Justin are also credited with securing a $15,000 cash sponsorship from Civano Coffee House, a first-time Tucson Pride Sponsor.
As the top fundraising team, Lucinda and Justin were given 5% of their earnings to donate to a charity of their choosing. Lucinda Holliday has chosen to donate her share of the charitable contribution to Refugee Focus, a Non-Profit Organization which provides services for immigrants and refugees including: pre-arrival housing assistance, facilitating access to transportation and basic public services, employment support, K-12 refugee education services, women’s empowerment, and immigration and naturalization services. Justin Deeper-Love has chosen to donate his share of the charitable contribution to be combined with past royalty’s start-up fund for a Tucson Pride Royalty Scholarship.
Team Purple was joined in the competition by Team Blue consisting of Jessica Michaels and Ima Peepers. Team Blue raised a commendable $2,427 at numerous shows. The highlight of Team Blue’s efforts was the ‘Rumble in the Ol’ Pueblo’, a boxing themed lip sync battle. Isis D. Frost narrowly snatched victory and the championship belt, after a tie breaking lip sync with up and comer, Sammy Beaux.
This year’s contest was an overwhelming success. The combined efforts of both teams resulted in $24,158.50 raised for Tucson Pride, the oldest and longest running pride organization in the State of Arizona. Better still, this year’s contest resulted in numerous opportunities to connect with the Tucson community. In this sense, both teams were equally matched.
While the teams are credited with the organization and execution of their respective events, their success is largely attributed to the numerous entertainers who volunteered their time and talent, community partners Intuit, Civano Coffee House, Krikawa Jewelry Designs, and G3, as well as countless community members who came out to support more than a dozen events between May and September.
Lucinda and Justin will represent their titles in the upcoming Tucson Pride Parade and at the Festival on September 28, 2019. This year’s parade steps off at 11:00AM at Broadway and Country Club and will travel southbound on Country Club, concluding at the entrance to the Festival. Tucson Pride’s 42nd Annual, Pride in the Desert festival will begin immediately following the parade, at the Georges DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center (Reid Park).
