Stella Kraus is a student reporter who made this graphic above wondering why there isn’t more awareness of a gay rodeo returning to Reno for a 50th anniversary celebration at the Reno/Sparks Livestock Events Center October 11th and 12th.
Here’s an explainer on the gay rodeo’s history tracing back to the Biggest Little City, with a return in just a few weeks.
What started in Reno?
The first gay rodeo was held in Reno, Nevada on October 2nd, 1976. Phil Ragsdale was part of a group who came up with the idea to have a local gay rodeo to raise funds for the local Senior Citizens Annual Thanksgiving Day feed and for Muscular Dystrophy assistance. It was just supposed to be an amateur rodeo.
It was a hectic process.
“Ragsdale approached the Washoe County Fairgrounds manager and the earliest date the facility was available was October 2, 1976,” according to the Out History website.
We received a subsequent email from the Reno Gay Page saying we should attribute this passage to Dennis McBride. The Reno Gay Page also added some of the information on that website is not accurate. We weren’t there ourselves in preparations of Reno’s first gay rodeo to be able to vouch for either McBride or the Reno Gay Page.
Previous students from the Reynolds School of Journalism made an excellent documentary called Rainbow Rodeo about this history, which won a prestigious webby award.
“In the months prior to that date, Ragsdale tried renting livestock for the rodeo from Reno area farmers and ranchers, but when he admitted the event was being sponsored by the Reno gay community, every farmer and rancher he approached—nearly three dozen of them—refused to rent their animals. On Friday, October 1, 1976, with the rodeo scheduled the next day, Ragsdale still had no livestock. Determined to buy cows and calves himself for the event, Phil drove 60 miles to Fallon only to discover the weekly livestock auction was held on Wednesdays. The auction managers referred Ragsdale to a local rancher who provided the animals and Ragsdale drove back to Reno at 10 o'clock the night before the rodeo was scheduled. Early the next morning, the first Reno Gay Rodeo opened with five cows, ten calves, and one Shetland pony. Even though only 150 people attended, the rodeo drew attention from gay communities throughout the West,” the disputed passage on Out History indicates.
“Ragsdale did not locate the five cows, ten calves and Shetland pony,” the Reno Gay Page wrote to us. “His Empress Keith Ann secured the stock from a Paiute rancher friend. Ragsdale did not buy stock for the event. He did go to the Fallon area to get the livestock the night before the October 2nd rodeo.”
When the lightly attended and hectically organized gay rodeo did finally take place, there were crowning categories called “King of the Cowboys,” “Queen of the Cowgirls,” and “Miss Dusty Spurs” (the drag queen competition).
What is the history of gay rodeo associations?
Following the first gay rodeo in Reno, the Comstock Gay Rodeo Association started in 1977, and ultimately the Reno Gay Rodeo became the National Reno Gay Rodeo. This event started to gain more recognition across the West Coast and was called by some in local circles we’ve talked to an avenue to gay liberation for the LGBTQ+ community at the time and still today.
Over the years, more gay rodeo associations were created and spread throughout the country, mainly in the Midwest. Inspired by these efforts, Wayne Jakino, a cowboy from Colorado set out to Reno with some buddies to see what everyone had been talking about.
Shortly after this, Jakino and eight other men formed the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association (CGRA). With more people joining different gay rodeo associations, the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) was founded in 1985 as a coalition naming Jakino as their founding president.
The Reno Gay Page writes the IGRA was formed because contestants wanted more consistent rules and the National Gay Rodeo had ceased to be.
Why is there a lack of advertising?
The World Gay Rodeo Finals, which started in 1987, are now holding their competition in Reno to celebrate 50 years since our city started the first gay rodeo. Aside from some coverage and social media, though, there has been very little advertisement for the event leading to a lack of knowledge about the details and information on how to attend.
Stereotypically, for some we talked to about this, reflected in several social media comments, cowboys and members of the LGBTQ+ community do not always mesh. Sadly, this stigma still exists and could be a reason for the lack of information. One person wrote he would get nasty looks if he were to hold his husband’s hand at the regular rodeo.
How can you attend or participate?
To attend the event, you can visit the World Gay Rodeo Finals’ official website and purchase event tickets until October 5th. The two-day event will be held at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Event Center October 11th and 12th. The coordinators will be hosting other events including dances and dance workshops.
Our Town Reno Citizen’s Forum and graphic by Stella Kraus