How Juanita MORE! has raised $1.5 million for charities with her annual Pride party

It's not Pride season without a Juanita MORE! party.

Mark Mark
May 16, 2026 - 20:00
0 5
How Juanita MORE! has raised $1.5 million for charities with her annual Pride party
A poster advertising Juanita MORE!'s 2026 Pride party.
This year’s party takes place on Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 12 PM to 7 PM.

Over the past 30 years, through my annual Pride Party and other nonprofit events, the community has helped me raise over $1.5 million for local San Francisco charities, including LYRIC, San Francisco  LGBT Center, GBLT Historical Society & Archives, Our Trans Youth, Queer Lifespace, Transgender Law Center, and OpenHouse.

This year, please join me in benefiting the GLBT Historical Society.

I mostly fundraise for San Francisco-based organizations committed to helping communities in the seven-by-seven-mile city thrive, all while shining a light on and supporting those who’ve been overlooked for far too long.

In the fall of 2001, my first large-scale event benefitted the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center at the George Coates Performance Works Theater on McAllister and Hyde. It was an early version of the House of MORE!’s 1930s-style shows, featuring a star-studded cast of some of the city’s most notable underground performers and personalities.

Two-panel image. On the left, a poster advertising Juanita MORE!'s 2001 Pride party. On the right, she poses in drag flanked by four dancers in tuxedoes.
House of MORE! Party, 2001

I had become aware of my power and voice as a drag queen and knew it needed to be used for good. Those early events eventually morphed into my annual non-profit Pride Party, first held poolside at the Phoenix Hotel and later at a larger venue nearby on Jones Street.

We are fortunate here in San Francisco, but that’s not to say discrimination and the freedom to be yourself are not threatened. Pride has brought us together for half a century now. It is a time to reflect, remember, celebrate, and continue the fight for our rights.

Pack your bags, we’re going on an adventure

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the best LGBTQ+ travel guides, stories, and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

Related

PHOTOS: Juanita MORE’s epic Pride party brings loads of love to San Francisco
For many San Francisco gays, Juanita MORE’s annual Pride parties are the actual main event of the weekend.

The community has a history of standing up to discrimination and overcoming obstacles. Pride is also a time to come together in our queer spaces and have a good time with our friends and chosen family. The history of our community is rooted in clubs and bars, as these are our safe spaces to meet, love, dance, and thrive. But it is not enough to dance.

Please have fun, but do not forget to give back to our community. We face issues that require resistance every day.

Below, a list of nonprofits that my annual Pride Party has supported, and fabulous photos of the good times we had.

1. 2004 – AIDS Benefit Counselors

Juanita MORE! stands in drag surrounded by Pride festival attendees in various states of drag on the streets of San Francisco.

2. 2005 – Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center

Juanita MORE! stands in front of a courthouse in a 2005 photo with a group of men and women in white shirts and black ties smiling at a Pride event.

3. 2006 – Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center

Juanita MORE! dances in a rainbow dress as confetti rains down upon her and gay men stand nearby holding colorful balloons at a 2006 Pride party.

4. 2007 – Harvey Milk Memorial – City Hall

Juanita MORE! smiles with large dangling earrings next to two drag queens and a man in a white hat and button down shirt at 2007 Pride pool party.

5. 2008 – New Leaf / Outreach to Elders

A woman in pasties and a green skirt struts in front of a group of gay men at a 2008 Pride party.

6. 2009 – Transgender Law Center

A person dressed as a chicken in a red dress poses with a farmer and two other people in Pride costumes while lounging on grass at a Pride pool party.

7. 2010 – Bay Positives

Juanita MORE! (right) stands next to two other men in costumes and smiles mischievously at a 2010 Pride party.

8. 2011 – GSA Network

Two shirtless muscled up men in sunglasses smile at a Pride party in 2011.

9. 2012 – SF LGBT Center

Juanita MORE! (left) stands next to two men in Egyptian-inspired costumes outdoors at a Pride pool party in 2012.

10. 2013 – Outloud Radio

A sea of partygoers dance and take selfies outdoors at a 2013 Pride pool party in San Francisco.

11. 2014 – AIDS Housing Alliance

Juanita MORE! (center) stands next to two men in black shirts amid a sea of partygoers at a 2014 Pride party.

12. 2015 – YES / Youth Empowerment Services

Two drag queens in facepaint and brightly colored wigs smile for the cameras at a 2015 Pride party.

13. 2016 – Queer LifeSpace

A group of shirtless men in speedos wear Trojan horse masks and dance at a Pride party in 2016.

14. 2017 – LGBT Asylum Project

Juanita MORE! stands next to Pride partygoers in sunglasses outdoors at a party in 2017. There are rainbow colored decorations around them.

15. 2018 – Trans Youth

A drag queen in a triangle-shaped pink dress with a pink clacking fan poses with a man in a pink sparkling tuxedo and sunglasses at a Pride party in 2018.

16. 2019 – GLBT Historical Society

Four men in sunglasses and crop tops wrap their arms around each other and smile for the camera at an outdoor Pride party in 2019.

17. 2020 – People’s March

A group of six drag queens and queer people lead a march down the streets of San Francisco, wearing masks as a sea of Pride flags and signs follow them.

18. 2021 – SF Bay Area Nightlife Fund & The Imperial Court of San Francisco

Juanita MORE! wears a black wig and a black short dress alongside a group of smiling Pride party attendees in various stylish outfits. They all smile for the camera.

19. 2022 – Q Foundation

Three women in costumed and sparkling bikinis perform on a stage for a Pride event in San Francisco outdoors.
Screenshot

20. 2023 – Queer LifeSpace

Juanita MORE! smiles in a feathered red headdress alongside a group of men in sombreros and garden-styled costumes at a Pride party in 2024.

21. 2024 – LYRIC

A drag queen with a light blue painted face in a black top and patterned skirt smiles humorously next to two shirtless men outdoors at a Pride pool party in 2024.

22. 2025 – Transgender Law Center

Juanita MORE! poses for the camera in a decadent purple dress with a cape and a purple and orange headdress next to a party attendee in a leopard print top and mask and sunglasses outdoors at a Pride event.
Screenshot

23. 2026 – GLBT Historical Society

Learn more about this year’s party here.

Related

A drag queen bids farewell to Williams-Sonoma’s flagship store in San Francisco
As Williams-Sonoma closes its doors in San Francisco, Juanita MORE! reflects on Chuck Williams and the store’s queer history

Join the GayCities newsletter for weekly updates on the best LGBTQ+ destinations and events—nearby and around the world.

Read More