In 1994, the Tucson AIDS Project (now the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation), the Pima County Health Department, and Wingspan, joined forces to address the growing rate of HIV infection among young gay and bisexual men in Tucson.  The program was originally called the Gay Young Men’s Project (GYM) and targeted HIV prevention messages to gay and bisexual men, ages 23 and under.  GYM did educational workshops, leadership retreats, Café Chats, and drug-free and alcohol free parties, and condom distribution.  GYM events were located at various sites around town, coffee shops, churches, and people’s homes.  Some of GYM’s more noticeable activities were a safer sex billboard on 6th St and 4th Ave. and a mural on Stone Ave

GYM quickly began to grow and become more inclusive, recognizing the lack of programming for young lesbian and bisexual women and transgender youth.  In order to begin including these youth, GYM participants voted to change the program’s name to QueerVoice in 1998.  QueerVoice grew even more, adding a number of social and educational activities to the program as well as community education on LGBTQQ youth issues. Some of the most notable QueerVoice events were the Mr. And Miss Gay Teen Tucson Pageant (a gender performance pageant and fundraiser), the annual Queer Prom, and their incredibly dynamic Youth Leadership Retreats. Despite the growth, QueerVoice activities were still housed in various community locations, wherever space was available.  In 2001, QueerVoice opened Arizona’s first, and only queer youth center, called the Lounge.  The Lounge dramatically changed the face of queer youth services in Tucson, and offered a safe, supportive space open 40hours a week and hosts a huge array of activities. In 2002, after two years of the Lounge’s existence, participants once again decided it was time for a name change to reflect the evolving program.  In February 2003, after a two month contest, participants voted to change the program’s name to Eon. The Eon “Lounge” Youth Center continues to offer a safe drop-in space for young people, ages 13-23, to be themselves.