The nonprofit Tacky Tourist Clubs of America was founded in Seattle in the early 1980s, and incorporated in 1988. The organization sponsored annual parties and events to raise money for other nonprofits, mostly those benefiting the local LGBTQ community. "The Prom You Never Went To" was first held in 1983 and became an institution in the local gay and lesbian community until 1997. The annual party at "Lavender Valley High School, Home of the Fighting Poodles" gave queer people an opportunity to take the dates of their choice to a recreated high-school prom, and to "dance, look fabulous, and have much more fun than anyone ever had at their real high-school prom."

This poster advertising the 1996 Prom You Never Went To features a humorous photograph of three men dressed as members of the LVHS Pep Club and performing cheerleader-style jumps. Proceeds from the event benefited Emerald City Softball Association, Freedom Day Committee, Gay City Health Project, GSBA Scholarship Fund, Lesbian Resource Center, Seattle Lesbian & Gay Chorus, and Seattle Women's Ensemble.

Credit printed on poster: Photographs: Lee Ratcliffe & Ernest Vigil. Models: Mike Farris, Peter Ruplinger & Doug Wehage as The LVHS Cheerleaders. Design/Digital Compositing: Robert Henry Fein.

Caption information source: "It's the Last Dance," The Seattle Times, April 28, 1997, p. F1.