Come Celebrate Pride With Us This June 🌈
Our Colorful Concierge, Mabel, at Pride 2025
June is Pride Month, and we’re always so excited to celebrate with our community! Here’s what to expect:
This year, our trusty float will be on sabbatical since our staff will just be returning from the Association of Professional Piercers Annual Conference. However, our doors will be wide open to celebrate pride all month long with piercings and self-expression. On the day of the Pride Parade, Saturday, June 13th, we’ll have a table set up outside our Central Ave. location. Come show us your PRIDE, take some polaroids, grab some FREE stickers, and check out available resources from our local partners.
📍 Evolution on Central Opens at 11AM — Central will be open at its normal 11AM hours. Keep in mind that the parade route runs right in front of our Central location, so parking in the area can be tricky. You may need to park a bit further away and walk. The parade typically clears by noon or 1PM if you'd rather wait it out before heading over.
📍 Evolution on Carlisle: Open Normal Hours — Not heading to the parade, or want to avoid the crowds? Carlisle also opens at 11AM and is easy to get to all morning with none of the parade traffic.
💖 Giving Back All Month Long 💖
Throughout June, a percentage of every sale will be donated to Casa Q, a non-profit organization that provides safe living for LGBTQ+ youth and allies ages 14-17 who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness through housing, services, and advocacy.
“At Casa Q, we believe in the strength and resiliency of our youth. We believe in offering services in culturally appropriate and competent ways. We believe that meaningful participation of BIPOC and LGBTQ youth drive the success of the organization. We believe that providing strength-based services promotes the development of self-efficacy and self-determination.”
Casa Q’s 5-bedroom youth residential living space is licensed by the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) as a Multi-Service Home to serve up to 8 residents at a time. There is very limited housing for homeless youth in our community and no other housing program specifically designed to support BIPOC and LGBTQ youth. Casa Q provides a safe living option for BIPOC and LGBTQ youth and allies who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Clients will receive case management, family engagement if possible, and transition planning. Our licensing allows both long-term and short-term stays at the underage transitional living shelter which gives us the flexibility to respond to all needs. The average stay at the shelter is 6 to 9 months.
Transitional living programs for young adults 18-22 are in high demand, both from youth who were former Casa Q residents and from other homeless youth programs. There is a severe lack of Transitional Living Program placements in New Mexico. Casa Q serves approximately 4 young adults annually in our off-site apartments. The average stay for TLP is 12-24 months. Casa Q’s intensive case management team provides essential support for each young adult in our care, which includes mental health evaluation and medication management, education programming, life skills, primary care healthcare services, and cultural & identity-based programming.
Last year, we also started curating a list of local LGBTQIA+-owned and allied businesses. If you’re in the Albuquerque area, check out this list on Google Maps. Please feel free to reach out to us with additional businesses to include by sending an email to marketing@evolutionpiercing.com.
