After spending the last 20 years or more volunteering and participating in GLBTQ events and organizations, I find myself wondering if events such as gay rodeos and gay pride will soon be extinct. Over the last 15 years, the GLBTQ community in the United States has experienced many milestone accomplishments resulting in liberation from oppression and new freedoms on many forefronts. 

As the Southern Nevada Association of PRIDE, Inc. (SNAPI) and the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) embark on a collaborative effort to bring tourists and residents a week-long extravaganza, I wonder what other creative ideas will help our events continue to be successful. 
As the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for IGRA, I am exposed to every facet of our organization. In a recent conference, I posed the question to our members about reinventing ourselves. IGRA's contestant base has always been all-inclusive, which is what differentiates us from traditional rodeo; however, our straight contestant base continues to grow and being gay really is not a focal point anymore. We are just one big family who likes to get together, have a great time, and raise money for the less fortunate. 

Over the years, the reason we were founded and the world has almost changed entirely. As an organization born in the heart of the AIDS crisis, our original mission was to raise monies for charities to help our ailing brothers and sisters from this often fatal epidemic. People rarely die from AIDS anymore and with the Affordable Care Act, almost everybody has access to healthcare. 

According to a posting on gaypatriot. net in 2005, "...as gay people becoming increasingly visible, it's beginning to seem that 'Pride' is passé. Pride now seems to be merely the name of the gay and lesbian street festival where people gather to have a good time one spring weekend." The world has evolved but many organizations have not evolved with it and are struggling to survive and or maintain their identities. As the GLBTQ community becomes more and more mainstream and with online technology making it easier to meet new people and socialize without ever leaving home, people do not have to go to gay establishments or events to find people like themselves. 

I never imagined going to any rodeo, let alone a gay one. Rodeo has since become my greatest passion and I would not trade my rodeo family for anything. If you have never been to a gay rodeo, your chance to see one of the best is less than six months away. 
SNAPI and IGRA have an exciting week planned and we hope to see all of you at the Las Vegas PRIDE Parade in Downtown Las Vegas, the PRIDE Festival at Sunset Park, and the World Gay Rodeo Finals® at South Point Hotel & Casino. The festival and rodeo will both be held on Saturday and Sunday so everybody will have an opportunity to see a little of everything. For more information, cowboy up and visit us online at www.igra-wgrf.com and www.lasvegaspride.org! 

This article was never made available to be considered for print in Gay Vegas Magazine. This article was sent by a third party after the magazine had already gone to print. LGBT non-profits that are interested in engaging the entire LGBT community should send equal information and resources to all of our local LGBT publications for the widest reach possible, to promote inclusiveness, create community and to avoid creating competitive differences between publications.