"Thirty-seven years ago, in October 1988, that year's Gay Rodeo Finals contestants and organizers were refused entry to the ranch, blocked by then-Churchill County Sheriff Bill Lawry. "It was the first time I'd seen raw, undeniable hate," King said. A judge's injunction hung on the ranch gate, and the sheriff, his shotgun and a group of deputies stood between the rodeo contestants, organizers and their horses."
"I stood around with Andy Siekkinen, a tall man in a big hat with a handlebar mustache who is the rodeo's press person and a competitor. The president of IGRA, Brian Helander, walked up and pulled his hand from his jean pocket to shake. "We're not out here in anger," Helander said, "It's about understanding ... and closure." "And triumph," Siekkinen added with a slight smile. "And triumph," Helander agreed."
Fifty miles east of Reno, on the edge of Fallon, John King recalled the standoff at a ranch where the Gay Rodeo Finals were barred in October 1988. Contestants and organizers were refused entry and blocked by Churchill County Sheriff Bill Lawry while a judge's injunction hung on the ranch gate. Deputies with a shotgun stood between the rodeo participants and their horses as the crowd faced heated threats for hours before being allowed to load their animals and leave. The finals were redistributed across several cities. Fifty years after the first Gay Rodeo, the finals returned to Reno and attendees visited the Fallon site for history and closure.
Read at High Country News
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