The chute flies open and out comes a bucking bronc, with a rugged cowboy astraddle, trying their best to stay mounted. This iconic image is associated with rodeos across the West. And since 1975, a similar scene has played out in the Gay Rodeo. Conceived of as a fundraiser for a Reno senior citizens’ Thanksgiving dinner, the Gay Rodeo originated in Nevada. Interest in the rodeo spread across the U.S., first to California and then to Colorado and Texas.
In 1985 the International Gay Rodeo Association was formed to provide some standardization of rules across the various state rodeos that had sprung up. Wayne Jakino, the founding president of the association described the rodeo community as one that lets “competitors feel good about themselves and opens closet doors.”
For LGBTQ farmers and ranchers, the rodeo offers a vital social outlet and an opportunity to meet other likeminded rodeo competitors.
See the Gregory Hinton papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more about Gay Rodeo.
For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.