Gay rodeo participant Chris Tobin ices his face before competing in a drag race event at the Bighorn Rodeo in Las Vegas on Sept. 24, 2017. AP Photo/John LocherThe Colorado Gay Rodeo Association has held a gay rodeo every year since 1983, making it the longest-running event of its kind in history.
Their flagship event, the Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo in Denver, is part of a circuit of rodeos that, at times, has stretched across the United States and into Canada.
Despite the cultural pushback these rodeos have faced, the legacy of the Denver rodeo continues as it celebrates its 41st anniversary on July 12-13, 2024.
We researched the origins of this rodeo for our book, “Slapping Leather: Queer Cowfolx at the Gay Rodeo,” which also explores how gay rodeoers were at the forefront of combating discrimination and the AIDS crisis.
Roots in Reno
Gay rodeo didn’t originate in the Rocky Mountains but