Nevada Gay Roo Associatn | Roo Calendar for 2023

Contents:

• GAY HISTORY NEVADA AND LAS VEGAS, 1969-2009, BY DENNIS MCBRI, CRYSTAL VAN DEE, AND PL ERSHLER
• JAGUARS STRENGTH COACH KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS GAY
• LAS VEGAS THROWS ARMS AROUND GAY ROO
• WORLD GAY RODEO FINALS
• NEVADA HUMANI VIRTUAL SALON: RENO'S GAY ROO
• NEVADA GAY ROO ASSOCIATN

GAY HISTORY NEVADA AND LAS VEGAS, 1969-2009, BY DENNIS MCBRI, CRYSTAL VAN DEE, AND PL ERSHLER

BIGHORN RODEOThe Nevada Gay Roo Associatn (NGRA) is exced to brg BigHorn Roo back to Southern Nevada for 2023. As an all-volunteer nonprof anizatn, we celebrate our hard work each year by givg back to our USThe Nevada Gay Roo Associatn (NGRA) is an affiliate of the Internatnal Gay Roo Associatn, which has 14 member associatns the U. The Nevada Gay Roo Associatn is an all-volunteer, nonprof 501(c)(3) anizatn dited to prervg the wtern liftyle and producg gay roos wh a mment to raise funds for charable anizatns wh our muny.

BigHorn Roo is one of the largt roos on the gay roo circu. Feb 17 - 19, Arizona Gay Roo, Phoenix, AZ.

Internatnal Gay Roo Associatn. You don't have to be gay to pete, you jt have to be of legal age.

JAGUARS STRENGTH COACH KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS GAY

In 1975, Phil Ragsdale[1], who was Emperor I of the Silver Dollar Court Reno, nceived of a gay roo as a fundraisg effort for the Court. In the months prr to that date, Ragsdale tried rentg livtock for the roo om Reno area farmers and ranchers, but when he admted the event was beg sponsored by the Reno gay muny, every farmer and rancher he approached—nearly three dozen of them—refed to rent their animals.

Early the next morng, the first Reno Gay Roo opened wh five ws, ten lv, and one Shetland pony. Even though only 150 people attend, the roo drew attentn om gay muni throughout the Wt.

The event beme known as the Natnal Reno Gay Roo, sponsored by the Comstock Gay Roo Associatn, and over the next several years drew larger and larger crowds and raised tens of thoands of dollars for such chari as the Mcular Dystrophy Foundatn, Nevada Servic to the Bld, and the Veterans Admistratn hospal Reno. Inspired by what was happeng ordarily nservative Nevada, gay roo associatns were found Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexi, Oregon, and Wyomg. In 1985, the Internatnal Gay Roo Associatn [IGRA] was found, and the phenomenon of gay roo beme a rich part of gay culture the U.

LAS VEGAS THROWS ARMS AROUND GAY ROO

As populary of the Natnal Reno Gay Roo creased, so did nservative backlash the state. " Daniel Hansen, founr of Nevada’s homophobic Inpennt Amerin Party, two letters to the edor, wrote, “The term of civilizatn have brazenly oozed out of their closet to proclaim that they have a right to maim, molt and embarrass society...

Homosexualy, like all paras, surviv by preyg upon the healthy.

The ntroversy that year reached such a pch, that the Reno Eveng Gazette ran posive three-part feature on Reno's gay muny. Based on a cisn by the Chief Deputy DA of Washoe County that to ny the Gay Roo Associatn accs to the fairgrounds would vlate the group's rights of equal protectn unr the First Amendment, the Republin Washoe County Commissner Belie Williams failed to have the roo’s ntract for the Washoe County Fairgrounds nceled, and the event went on as planned. () The roo that year drew 10, 000 people; 1982, when edienne Joan Rivers served as grand marshal, more than 20, 000 attend, spe ongog anti-gay protts.

WORLD GAY RODEO FINALS

By 1983, however, the AIDS epimic had e to Nevada, which provid a potent new weapon for the Inpennt Amerin Party, s newly formed anti-gay Pro-Fay Christian Coaln, the Patrts to Normalize Reno, and var other Christian and polilly nservative hangers-on. The Patrts, for stance, referred to gay people as "perverted, poop-packg punks, " and warned that "If you are ightened by the threat of nuclear war, nsir the future of mankd based on a queer society! Walter Alexanr of the First Baptist Church nearby Sun Valley said of gay people that, "I thk we should do what the Bible says and cut their throats.

NEVADA HUMANI VIRTUAL SALON: RENO'S GAY ROO

The gay muny was exhsted om fightg the AIDS epimic as well as the relig and polil backlash.

In addn, the Democratic nventn San Francis and the Olympic gam Los Angel, both held at the same time as the Natnal Reno Gay Roo, stifled attendance.

The Comstock Gay Roo Associatn left Nevada State Fair, Inc. Southern Nevada Gay Roo Associatn. While there was no gay roo Reno 1985, 1986, or 1987, the IGRA and s many state unterparts held events all over the untry: what had died Reno was flourishg elsewhere.

NEVADA GAY ROO ASSOCIATN

In 1987 the Comstock Gay Roo Associatn renstuted self as the Silver State Gay Roo Associatn [SSGRA], took a seat the IGRA, and planned the 1988 Internatnal Fals Roo for Reno on October 21-23. Driven out of northern Nevada by ignorance and bigotry the Reno Gay Roo died. But January 1992 a group of roo fans Las Vegas tablished the Southern Nevada Gay Roo Associatn, which rporated on June 19, 1992 as the Nevada Gay Roo Associatn [NGRA] and adopted the Backstreet Saloon--Charlie's, at the time of this wrg--as s home bar.

While this wasn't an IGRA-sanctned event, served to christen the NGRA and to prove that southern Nevada might be a more hospable home for Nevada gay roos than Reno turned out to be. That was te only somewhat: when the Imperial Palace Hotel, where the NGRA had booked 50 rooms for the 1994 Gymkhana participants, found out that NGRA stood for Nevada Gay Roo Associatn, those 50 rooms were no longer available. The Big Horn Roo has sce bee one of the southern Nevada gay muny's premier annual events, and one of the most well attend roos on the IGRA circu.

It wasn't until 2004 that the gay roo returned to Reno unr the sponsorship of the High Sierra Roo Associatn, and 2006, hosted the IGRA Roo Fals. Nevada State Journal (Augt 26, 1977), 5; (Augt 19, 1977), 10; Augt 21, 1977), 40; (Augt 5, 1979), 38; (Augt 4, 1980), 12; Vegas Gay Tim (July 1978), 2; (Augt 1979) sert; (September 1979), 4; Reno Magaze (Augt 1979), 32-33; Great Falls (MT) Tribune (Augt 6, 1979), 13; [Nevada]Actn (September 1980), 26; Reno Eveng Gazette (Augt 1, 1982), 1B, 3B; Nevada Gay Roo Associatn Gymkhana '94 progam (sert  Las Vegas Bugle [June 1994]);Nevada State Journal (Augt 4, 1980), 12; (March 10, 1981), 16; Reno Eveng-Gazette (Augt 4, 1980), 13; (March 10, 1981), 15; (March 11, 1981), 1, 5; (March 21, 1981), 21; (March 23, 1981), 4; (April 13, 1981), 4; [Las Vegas] Valley Tim (Mach 13, 1981), 2A; (March 17, 1981), A2; (March 25, 198), A9;Las Vegas Review-Journal (March 15, 1981), 3F; (March 25, 1981), 1A; Nevadans for Human Rights prs release, March 25, 1981 (thor’s llectn); Vegas Gay Tim (April 1981), 1; (May 1981), 1, 2, 4; Carson Cy Nevada Appeal (March 26, 1981), A8; Las Vegas Sun (March 25, 1981), 1; (March 26, 1981), 1-2, 3; (March 27, 1981), 3; Eddie Anrson, terview by Dennis McBri, October 11-14, 2000, thor’s transcript. Reno Eveng Gazette (March 31, 1981), 13; (June 9, 1981), 1-2; (Augt 1, 1981), 1A; (Augt 2, 1981), 1A, 4A; (Augt 3, 1981), 12; (July 28, 1982), 1A, 12A; (Augt 1, 1982), 1B, 3B;(Augt 2, 1982), 1C; Reno Gazette-Journal (July 31, 1982), 1A, 10A; Las Vegas Review-Journal (April 1, 1981), 11A; (June 10, 1981), 10B; (June 24, 1981), 2C; (Augt 2, 1981), 7F; (July 29, 1982), 6B; Nevada State Journal (June 9, 1981), 1, 12; (July 26, 1981), 1A, 9A; Las Vegas Sun (Augt 6, 1981), 45; (July 29, 1982), 38; Rollg Stone (September 17, 1982), 108; letter, Griswold to Washoe County Board of Commissners, June 8, 1981 (Universy of Nevada, Las Vegas Lied Library, Special Collectns Department, hereafter noted as UNLS, MS 2005-08: Reno Gay Roo); Reno Gay Roo Associatn prs release, through Commerce Lab marketg, July 1982 (UNLS MS 2005-08: Reno Gay Roo).