A-LISTS community
Rodeo Director and current Mr. International Gay Rodeo Second Runner-Up, Kelly Gilliland
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It’s time to cowboy-up, because from September 10th through the 12th, the San Diego Gay Rodeo is back in town with its own unique brand of roping, riding and rough-and-tumble men…oh my! The three-day event, being put on at the
Lakeside Rodeo Grounds on the 11th and 12th, is one of the largest LGBT Western-themed festivals held on the West Coast. Produced by the GSGRA, which stands for Golden State Gay Rodeo Association, the event is held in conjunction with The Greater San Diego Chapter. This year’s host hotel, the Sheraton Mission Valley, will get the party started with events on the 10th. This modern incarnation of a tradition that began almost 140 years ago has seen its fair share of changes—such as motor homes with trailers towing horses rather than wagon trains used in the 19th century. But one aspect has remained intact: the spirit of “The Old West” is alive and well in the cowboys who literally make the circuit complete. Even if you don’t have spurs that jingle-jangle-jingle, it’s not only a good way to see the bucking bronco set in action, but it also represents a good cause. The proceeds from the rodeo benefit a wealth of commu-
nity organizations. In fact, since 1986, the GSGRA-GSDC has donated upward of $210,000 to Mama’s Kitchen, Auntie Helen’s and the San Diego LGBT Center, to name but a few. For the lowdown on all things cowboy-related, The Rage Monthly chatted with Rodeo Director and current Mr. Interna- tional Gay Rodeo Second Runner-Up, Kelly Gilliland. He let us in on what the sea of Stetson-hat-wearing audience members can expect from the 22nd San Diego Gay Rodeo, why it’s so near and dear to his heart and how it all comes together.
For this Colorado transplant, his involvement with the rodeo began “way back
many, many moons ago,” and filled a void that he felt upon moving to our fair city, as he explained. “When I was in the military, I wanted to find something that could relate to my roots of being a cowboy in Colorado,” he said. “And I came across the rodeo through the Center. So, I got involved and I’ve been active with this now for 16 years.” Now his involvement sees him traveling to different rodeos across the country, and
he kindly gave us the “organizational flowchart” of the International Gay Rodeo Asso- ciation (IGRA), and even filled us in on how he earned his title. “There’s the International Gay Rodeo Association, which encompasses the United
States and three providences in Canada. And with that, there are 27 associations within the IGRA that hold rodeos, and California has four chapters.” “Yearly there’s a contest that’s held at the IGRA convention, where each association sends
its current state title holders,” Gilliland recounted. “And you go through a competition of Western wear, a performance, questioning and then an onstage public presentation.”
THE GAY RODEO ROUND UP
by brad shaw Gilliland sees this honor as a two-fold experience, in which he takes on the role of
both teacher and student. “Being the current Mr. International Gay Rodeo second runner-up and traveling to
other rodeos gives me a chance to teach what I’ve learned about how to put on rodeos,” he explained. “I also find new ideas and creative ways to host rodeos in other venues, and I get to meet my extended family throughout the United States and Canada. We’re just trying to get more people to understand and know that there is a gay rodeo, so that’s our big push for education—to let people know,” he stated. “For other things, we are reaching out to the various non-profit community organizations to build bridges and help get information about who they are out to the public.” Gilliland went on to describe what will transpire during this year’s festivities, and
what sets a gay rodeo apart from its straight counterparts. “We are going to have all of the traditional events that you would see at a straight
rodeo, but then we have our ‘Camp Events,’” he said. “And our Camp Events are Goat Dressing, Steer Deco (which stands for Steer Decorating) and then we have Wild Drag.
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RAGE monthly | SEPTEMBER 2010
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