Rainbow Cattle Co.: Liberation, Inclusion, and the History of Gay Rodeo

by Nicholas Villanueva Jr.

Nicholas Villanueva, Jr., investigates the untold story of the founders of an organization that helped gay rodeo participants persevere through bigotry and discrimination in sport, fought a pandemic that ravaged the LGBTQ community, and created a sporting community that became an international family.

Genres: LGBT

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2024

Reviews

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully detailed dive into the world of gay rodeo and its roots. It's fascinating to read and see how rodeo, sports, queer history and culture, politics, and cultural norms all interact and shape one another! Villanueva does a solid job of painting a picture of what gay rodeo is and it's influence, as well as a deeper look into the ideals of the "traditional" Western figure/practices and how these things are both challenged but also remade (or maybe changes your understanding of them) through gay rodeo culture and its participants.

There are some portions that could have used some deeper looks, and the book definitely leans more upon gay/men's testimonies and stories than it does women cowboys; for example, there are so many examples of rodeo advertising that catered to men, discussions of gay nightlife for men, etc. It would have been nice to seen a bit more breadth of exploration of other stories.
Overall, would recommended reading if you're interested in queer history, rodeo, or sports in general!