Even as Texas contemplates stripping back myriad protections for LGBTQ residents, a group of gay, lesbian and transgender cowboys are proudly joining in on one of Texas' most famous traditions -– the rodeo.
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At gay rodeo in Texas, riders gallop on despite rights row

Moisés ÁVILA
Sun, April 23, 2023 at 9:36 PM EDT · 4 min read

At the Texas Tradition Rodeo in Denton, John Beck gallops his horse Diamond across the arena, leaving a plume of dust in his wake -- one of around 50 cowboys competing in classic events such as barrel-racing, calf-lassoing and bull-riding. ... But at last weekend's show, contestants also participated in unconventional challenges such as "Wild Drag Racing," in which cowboys in sparkly dresses and extravagant wigs try to jump atop bucking steers -- this is a gay rodeo.

And even as the state contemplates stripping back myriad protections for LGBTQ residents, this group of gay, lesbian and transgender cowboys are proudly joining in on one of Texas' most famous traditions anyway. ... Beck, who says he has known he was gay since he was a child, was not always able to be open in the rodeo world as a professional cowboy. ... "I had to hide. For every little thing I did, I had to hide," recalled the 73-year-old, dressed in jeans, boots and a cowboy hat adorned with an enormous blue feather.

The show's organizer, the Texas Gay Rodeo Association (TGRA), has put on these events for 30 years, even while the state legislature in Austin debates dozens of bills -- 140, according to the NGO Equality Texas -- that would seek to limit the rights of LGBTQ people, a trend seen in conservative states across the country.

Despite the looming threat, the small crowd in the metal bleachers in Denton, near Dallas, is enthusiastic. They laugh and cheer even when the drag queens tumble off their precarious perches on the bulls' backs -- here, unlike in the real world outside, the danger is all part of the fun.

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