Rainbows, horses and boots on display at Colorado’s 42nd Gay Rodeo
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DENVER — This isn’t Candy Pratt’s first rodeo.
Stirrups, steers and stallions run deep in Pratt’s family. She grew up in Irving, Texas, where she attended the Mesquite Rodeo and Fort Worth Stock Show before she was old enough to identify the animals in the arena.
But in a culture dominated by hyper-masculinity, Pratt, a lesbian, felt unsure of her place in the Western scene as she grew older.
“I did rodeo all the way back in the 80s, when you had to hide who you were, especially in that kind of scene,” said Pratt, 64. “Back in those days, you really had to hide your life as a woman, a gay person or both if you wanted to fit in in the rodeo culture.”
Now, she’s a fixture in a different kind of rodeo circuit. Pratt competed in 10 of the 13 events at her 27th Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo Sunday at the National Western Complex in Denver. The Colorado Gay Rodeo Association (CGRA) hosted the event.
Pratt attended her first gay rodeo in 1988 in Fort Worth, Texas at a local chapter of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IRGA). Five years later, she met her wife at the same rodeo.
“And now we get to be together and not hide who we are, both at these rodeos and in life,” Pratt said.
The IRGA held its first gay rodeo in 1976 in Reno, Nevada. Sixteen states and Canada host annual gay rodeos. The CGRA, a local chapter of the international organization, held its first event in 1985 at the National Western Complex.
The IRGA and its local chapters are volunteer-run nonprofits, and all of the rodeo proceeds are donated to local LGBTQ+ organizations.
Held each July, the CGRA’s rodeo features 13 events that blend traditional Western competition with uniquely LGBTQ+ flair. Contestants face off in classic rodeo challenges including barrel racing, bull riding and team roping, alongside signature events that celebrate queer culture.
Each year kicks off with the crowd-favorite "goat dressing," where pairs race to catch a goat and put underwear on the animal. Another staple, the wild drag race, sees trios — consisting of a man, a woman and one person of any gender in drag — work together to wrangle a steer across the arena while tied together.
Rodeo judges also crown a man, woman and non-binary participant each year based on western wear pageants, interviews and placement in competitions. Winners are awarded Ms., Mr. and Mx. (pronounced ‘Mix,) Gay Rodeo titles.
“For a lot of us, this is something we were raised in and it’s just as much a part of who we are as our gender and [sexualities],” said Pup Mystic, who was crowned Mx. International Gay Rodeo Association this year.
Mystic grew up in a small town in Utah where their family raised cattle and chickens. After graduating high school, Mystic wanted to keep pursuing agriculture but wanted to combine that with their love of competition.
“For me, gay rodeo kind of combines my roots with who I am now,” Mystic said.
AJ Malcom, Colorado Gay Rodeo Association rodeo director, said most contestants grew up in agricultural families.
“It started for people who grew up in the country Western lifestyle that maybe don’t feel welcomed at home or where they’re from,” Malcolm said.
Malcom said Colorado’s rodeo is particularly special because it blends Colorado’s longstanding cowboy culture with the state’s acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. Malcolm said Colorado has become a safe haven for people from states with anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
“We asked ourselves how we could create a space for people to partake in this cowboy culture in our state in a way that feels safe and accepting,” said Jerry Cunningham, a former president of the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association.
Cunningham grew up in Jefferson County surrounded by farms and ranches. From a young age, Cunningham loved western wear, horses and farms, but that love felt like it clashed with his gay identity.
He attended his first gay rodeo in 1986, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, and said the rodeo was one of a small handful of spaces where gay men could gather for joyous reasons.
“To think about 40 years ago, how that is different from today, and that it was more than just a safe place, it was a home and a sense of belonging that's kind of taken for granted today because we've come a long way in the LGBTQ community,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham said the LGBTQ+ community has reclaimed elements of Western culture in recent years, with artists such as Lil Nas X and Chappell Roan incorporating cowboy aesthetics into their signature styles and weaving country themes into their music.
“We are living in a really interesting time where our community has taken their seat in this world,” Cunningham said. “And it’s exciting to see this upward slope.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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