Contents:
- GAY ROO DRAWS CROWD -- ENUMCLAW QUIET AS THE SENTIMENTS OF OPPOSN FIZZLE AT TIME OF EVENT
- GAY ROO DIVIS ENUMCLAW
- GAY BULL RIR BUCKS STEREOTYPE -- UPG ROO SPLS ENUMCLAW
- A SLEEPY TOWN WAK UP TO GAY ISSUE -- NATIVE SON'S REVELATN FUELS DEBATE AS ENUMCLAW FAC CONTROVERSIAL ROO
GAY ROO DRAWS CROWD -- ENUMCLAW QUIET AS THE SENTIMENTS OF OPPOSN FIZZLE AT TIME OF EVENT
But beyond the wboys, hors, untry mic and pasture aromas was somethg that set apart: It was a gay roo.
GAY ROO DIVIS ENUMCLAW
"Cowboys and hors and steers don't f people's ual ncept of gay, " said Alexei Guren, who traveled om Portland for the event.
The state's first gay roo, which drew more than 2, 500 people and more than 100 petors durg s two days, was beg lled a succs by anizers, who predicted the event would return next year. Protters arrived Saturday afternoon for the openg of the roo, but they clud only a handful of muny members who said homosexualy was immoral and about a dozen animal-rights protters whose ncerns were foced on the treatment of the animals. They shouted, "Y to gays, no to the roo.
"This ntroversy stuff is not a big al as far as we're ncerned, " said Gary Shults, print of the Northwt Gay Roo Associatn and a petor. Martti, who liv Enumclaw and grew up here, helped spark a munywi discsn of homosexualy when June he wrote a letter to the town newspaper supportg the roo and disclosg his own homosexualy.
GAY BULL RIR BUCKS STEREOTYPE -- UPG ROO SPLS ENUMCLAW
"It's not jt a gay issue. Steer-ridg petn wner David Smh of Burbank, Calif., said the crowd was more supportive than many he's enuntered at other gay roos natnwi.
ENUMCLAW - The anizer of a gay roo at the Kg County Fairgrounds here says he's disappoted at opposn voiced by some town. We're not there to threaten or va anyone, " said Robert Tylee, who has helped put the event together for the Northwt Gay Roo Associatn.
A SLEEPY TOWN WAK UP TO GAY ISSUE -- NATIVE SON'S REVELATN FUELS DEBATE AS ENUMCLAW FAC CONTROVERSIAL ROO
11-12 would help dismiss stereotyp about gays and brg people closer together.
Enumclaw rint San Gura said she has heard of misnduct at the Gay Pri Para Washgton, D. He said as a gay man, livg wh fear is a nstant. The 3-year-old Northwt Gay Roo Associatn is a chapter of the Internatnal Gay Roo Associatn, based Denver.
He do much of his bull-ridg at roos which most of the petors are gay, but that don't occur to him while he's on the back of one of the ntankero animals. He also views as a posive activy for gay people that helps chip away at stereotyp. "It shows that there are many typ of gay people, jt like there are many typ of straight people, " he said.