Gay Rodeo History




	A Brief History of Gay Rodeo In 1975, Phil Ragsdale, Emperor I of Reno, Nevada chose to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association by producing a local Gay Rodeo. While it began on a shoestring budget with very few people willing to lease livestock or arena space at the time, the event grew into the National Gay Rodeo, and soon began raising thousands of dollars. In 1982, 400 people from the newly-formed Colorado Gay Rodeo Association attended the event and wowed the crowd of over 10,000 spectators with 43 contestants and a mounted drill team. The local annual fundraiser had become a national event. On June 3, 1983, Denver became the second city to host a gay rodeo with many interested contestants and spectators from Texas and California. By 1984, Texas hosted a rodeo as well. In 1985, California saw it’s first gay rodeo in Los Angeles, heavily attended by existing states and their newest state member, the Arizona Gay Rodeo Association. In the fall of 1985, the first group meeting of these associations was held to create uniformity in the events. The International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) was formed, with Mr. Wayne Jakino elected Founding President. The rest is history… For more information on IGRA and gay rodeo, contact IGRA at (303) 832-4472.