Gay men’s bars included The Graduate, Stonewall Tavern, Mr. If you remember key milestones in Tucson’s LGBTQI+ history and want to share your memories, we welcome you to email us! 1970sīars were social spaces and information hubs for the LGBTQI+ community: The lesbian bars were Zodiac, Colette’s, and Ruby’s. While we still need to fight for our rights, we also need to respect those who struggled in the past to install the foundations for the freedoms and resources we experience now. We look back at Tucson’s rich history of key moments in our community to remember when and how we got to where we are today. Featured image (above) shows the logo for Wingspan’s Diversity in the Desert, Tucson’s 4th Annual Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Oct 22-25, 1998.

Most of the historical Wingspan photos are from “Wingspan Archive of Ken Godat” with his permission. Compiled by Joyce Bolinger from multiple sources (sources available upon request).