2009
Halle Pino
Year you were crowned Queen: 2009
Number of years you’ve ridden the Bus Tour: 12
Where did you get your Bag Ladies Name? Over Thanksgiving dinner, Sequoia decided I need a “spicy” sounding name. We played around with a few names until Halle Pino (pronounced like the pepper) came to be.
Bringing Back the Camp
Bag Ladies Queens 2009
Why did you want to be Bag Ladies Bus Tour Queen? Bag Lady Queen is the symbol of excellence for fundraising in the Indiana LGBTQ+ Community. Being brought into and part of the Sisterhood is in the Top 5 achievements of my life.
What does “Once a Queen, always a Queen,” mean to you? It means you will always be a representative of the Bag Ladies, everyone who was Queen before you and everyone who will follow you. It also means that what you do and say when you’re off-stage is just as, if not more important than what you do and say when you’re on-stage.
What is your biggest accomplishment as Bag Ladies Queen or as a Former? Bringing a little bit of Louisiana to Indiana through “Another Night on the Bayou,” a New Orleans-themed fish-fry fundraiser.
For what would you most like to be remembered? I would like to be remembered as someone who put community first, encouraged others to step up and volunteer and who didn’t tolerate bullshit.
When a cure and a vaccine for HIV are discovered and HIV no longer exists, what will the Bag Ladies do next? The Bag Ladies will always be involved in HIV education and advocacy, working to reduce stigma, promoting inclusion and raising funds for the LGBTQ+ Community.
