Denver gay rodeo 2024
Colorado Gay Rodeo Association thrilled to host rodeo indoors at National Western Complex
DENVER – The Colorado Gay Rodeo Association is hosting the 41st annual Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo at the National Western Complex on July 12, 13, and 14. They have come a long way from when they started.
“There was one year we were bucking bulls at midnight with our wagon lights around on it,” said Paula Scougal, one of the founding members of the association. “It's really changed a lot. Now we're indoors, we're in facilities that have lights, and a lot more people are representing up.”
Kade Hiller, CGRA Membership Chair, is excited about the upcoming weekend and the chance to compete with his horse Pongo.
Denver7's Ethan Carlson
"Pongo and I will be doing a lot of events. We’ve got four events,” Hiller said. “He's all excited. It's Pongo's first rodeo, but we're going to be doing pole bending. We're going to be doing flag racing. That's our favorite. He loves flags. Everybody watching us for that one. We'll do barrel racing, and then we'll do mounted breakaway calf roping."
Those are typical events for a regular rodeo, but that doesn’t mean that this rodeo won’t own any unique acti
Longest-running gay rodeo returns to Denver
The Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, the longest-running gay rodeo in the United States, takes place in Denver July 13 and 14, 2024.
“I don't reflect many people know that this rodeo has been such a staple in not only the Denver community, not only the Colorado community, but the western community, west of the Mississippi,” said Jordan Roberts of the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association.
The Colorado Gay Rodeo Association (CGRA) organizes the rodeo, but the event itself doesn't include the pos "gay." Roberts says this is intentional.
“The gentleman and women who started this organization ran into a lot of trouble. They couldn't find a rodeo territory that would accept them, just arenas and spaces. You hold to remember this was also at the height of the AIDS epidemic, so there was a lot of tragedy and homophobia associated with the male lover community, explained Roberts.
“So they found that if they hid their name, if they hid their intention, they were more likely to book a secure space.”
The Colorado Gay Rodeo Association (CGRA) is part of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), which presents gay rodeos across the United S
People are bucking stereotypes and creating safe spaces at the longest running gay rodeo
Like at most rodeos, there are a lot of cerulean jeans and cowboy hats at the National Western Complex in Denver. Territory music is playing and contestants are competing in roping and barrel racing, fighting for first-place buckles and prize money.
But at this rodeo there are also drag queens. Welcome to the Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, the longest-running gay rodeo in the U.S.
Alizae Roze Jackwell — that’s her drag identify — is preparing to hop on a steer. She’s sporting a pink Barbie dress with a blonde curly wig. Her two teammates in the "Wild Drag" event will grab clutch of the cow and bring it across two lines marked in the dirt. That's when she'll get on and ride it across a third line.
"It's rough, it's rowdy, you're going to get soiled, but it's so worth it," Jackwell said.
Wild Drag is one of the "camp" events, exceptional to the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) circuit. Another is a race to put underwear on a goat. They're silly and light-hearted, but contestants are required to compete in a camp event, in addition to the typical rough stock, roping and speed event
Rodeo Event Calendar
Future dates are tentative. Check back adjacent the end of 2028 to confirm the event is still scheduled
January, 2028
IGRA University TBD
February, 2028
March 2028
None Yet
April, 2028
May, 2028
June, 2028
July, 2028
August, 2028
September, 2028
Red River, Rodeo School()
TBD
October, 2028
World Gay Rodeo Finals(IGRA)
El Reno, OK
November, 2028
Future dates are tentative. Review back near the finish of 2026 to endorse the event is still scheduled
Future dates are tentative. Check back near the end of 2026 to confirm the event is still scheduled
October, 2030
First posted Dec 24, 2013
Last update Jul 18, 2025