Gay reverse cowboy

I could shoot close to the action-down on the arena floor and behind the chutes. In the rural countryside, their forbidden romance blossoms amidst rugged landscapes and quiet moments of passion. For the next four years. Gordon, a graphic designer, started wearing Western clothes on a daily basis.

Witness. By the beginning of the season, I successfully completed my first bull ride. I competed and photographed at most of the gay rodeos in the West. Many of the cowboys, my close friends, are no longer with us. I have been interested in Western culture and cowboys from an early age.

At my fifth rodeo, with the encouragement of my new cowboy friends, I rode my first steer. At the next rodeo, I stayed on the steer and completed my ride. These events were fun, but I became more interested in the traditional rodeo events, particularly bull riding.

This work has never been exhibited. I was completely drawn to it and I had to be a part of it. Gordon, Closeup, Los Angeles, Chute, Dogging, Phoenix, Bareback, Bronco Riding, San Diego, Dive into the heartfelt love story of two gay cowboys on Brokeback Farm.

I fell off almost immediately, but I was hooked. That was twenty years ago.

For the next six months, my best friend Gordon and I traveled to every gay rodeo in the Western United States. Growing up in residential area of Seattle, my first exposure to rodeo came from television and books. I wanted to be a cowboy. I began photographing seriously as I got more involved.

These photographs represent a very special time in my life. It’s time to break out your rainbow-riding crops and leather chaps because these cowboys are ready to be roped and ridden hard. I got my first pair of Wranglers and a cowboy hat. I now want to share these images for two reasons: to memorialize these great experiences in gay rodeo and to honor the real cowboys who competed.

Brokeback Farm Forbidden Love :

Just about everything about the cowboy way of life screams gay: leather, assless chaps, cowboy hats, denim jackets, tight jeans, and spending a lot of time building up a sweat with other guys. From the beginning, I brought my camera to all the rodeos, but as a rodeo competitor, I now had inside access.

I attended my first gay rodeo at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in The sport, camaraderie, and atmosphere of this first rodeo experience transformed me. I became friends with many of the cowboys.