This Is Life with Lisa Ling (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Gay Rodeo - full transcript

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This is 27-year-old Breana,

from Malibu, California.

And she's about to do something
she's always dreamed of.

So, how are you feeling, Breana?

- I'm nervous.
- Yeah.

I'm definitely nervous.

Breana's come to Santa
Fe, New Mexico to ride a steer

for the very first time.

You got this, Bre!

She's competing in a rodeo.

But this isn't just any rodeo,



this is gay rodeo.

It's a place that promises
to challenge expectations.

My mission is not to go

and beat everybody
because I'm gay.

And buck stereotypes.

How many times have you won
All-Around Cowboy?

- Eight hundred.
- How many?

When you're competing,

how does it feel?

Freedom.

It's here that
I hope to discover

what it truly means
to come out west.

THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING - SEASON 1
EP 7 - Gay Rodeo

The American cowboy,



he's rugged, stoic,
and independent.

From John Wayne to
the Marlboro man,

his image has defined
masculinity for generations.

But what happens
if you're a cowboy

that doesn't fit the mold?

One, two, you're gonna stop.

Fifty-one year old
Will has been riding horses

and competing in rodeos
for most of his life.

One,

- two.
- Whoa.

Here you go.

I broke and trained my
first horse when I was 13

and I've been doing it
ever since.

So you were
the quintessential cowboy?

Even in grade school

that's what they would
call me, Cowboy Will.

I wanted to be like my father,

I want to be a cowboy,
and I wanted to make him proud.

- Easy.
- But as will grew older,

he began to realize

he might be a little
different from his dad.

When did you think
that you might be gay?

I think I was always
attracted to guys

but I didn't know
that that wasn't

something that was...
I just thought oh,

you know,
maybe all guys do this.

Will tried to ignore
his attraction for other men.

At 25 years old, he got married

and had two daughters and a son.

But eventually, the feelings
he was running from

caught up with him

and he had an affair
with another man.

I took,

you know from pushing
those feelings aside

to then I acted on them.

After you do that once,
then it's like,

this may be who I am.

Will was 32 years old

and he decided it was time
to come out to his wife.

She just, was speechless.

And finally she says
that she was leaving

and I says, "Well,
I totally understand."

Will's seven-year marriage ended

and the rest of his family
found out that he was gay.

They couldn't deal with it.

So for many years
I think, I just,

I, didn't have a family.

After you came out,
were you still active

in the rodeo world?

When I first came out,
I didn't do any type of rodeo.

Why'd you quit though?
What would've happened

if people found out
you were gay?

I could've got beat up, I mean,

I wasn't ever worried about

the physical abuse.

It was the fact
that I didn't want

the deep down gut feeling
that oh, you know,

they're talking about me,
or nobody wants to rope with me

because, you know, I'm gay.

Easy.

Ironically,
it was a chance encounter

at a gay bar

that led him back
to his rodeo roots.

One day,
I finally get the courage

to walk into a gay bar.

And somebody says,

"You're a real cowboy,
aren't you?"

And I said,
"Well, I used to be."

And, "Well, do you do
the gay rodeos?"

And I said, "A what?"

There's two words that
just don't go together.

But Will was wrong.

Team ropers. You're probably
on your horses already,

but we need to make sure
you're ready. Team ropers.

This is the Zia Regional Rodeo

in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

And it's part of a circuit
that most of us

have probably never heard of,

the gay rodeo.

Keep reeling it in,
Brad. Keep reeling it in!

- There you go, you got it!
- Well.

The International
Gay Rodeo Association

has 5,000 members
throughout North America.

For countless gay
cowboys and cowgirls,

this is the one place they
can openly be themselves.

Not everyone approves of rodeos,

but there's no denying
they are an integral part

of cowboy culture.

And I'm here to explore
what it's like to be gay

in this notoriously macho world.

The gay rodeo welcomes everyone.

And it's not just for pros.

Two words I never thought
went together

were Chinese and cowgirl,
but I'm going with it.

And today,
I'm going to rodeo school.

Index finger, three, eleven.

Point your finger down.

We'll get there,
we'll get there.

My instructor Chuck works
in I.T. and finance by day,

but here at gay rodeo,
he ropes calves

and wrestles steers
with the best of them.

What you have to do is realize
that this index finger

- is literally what's telling it to flip.
- Flip.

The arena is filled with
rodeo newcomers just like me.

Each is here to learn
a different event

and become the cowboy
or cowgirl of their dreams.

That was good 'cause you
gave it a little attitude, phew!

Kind of told it, right here.

Nice!

Bend your knees,
lean just a bit forward.

When you're ready,

there you go.

Okay. So in this position
I'm on the inside.

At gay rodeos,
participants compete in many

of the same events as
the straight circuit.

We have our roping events.

We have three speed events.

We have rough stock events.

We have steer riding.

And the contestants have to
ride that for six seconds.

This is set so she
can ride left-handed.

Steer riding is one
of the toughest events

in any rodeo, even for the pros.

Once your glove is hot,
you feel good,

you just tell them or slap this,
they'll give you some slack.

But in this group of
newcomers, 27-year-old Breana

is determined to prove
she's got what it takes.

- You don't wanna leave
your hand... Why steer riding?

I'm an adrenaline junkie.

You know, if I can
manhandle something,

or lady handle
something whatever.

- Right. Right.
- I'm gonna do that more so than

something where
I have to like, sit,

take the time, patience.

If you come out of the
chute and he's a bastard

and he slams you right
on the corner gate

and your knee hits off of there
or anything like that,

that's a foul.

The rodeo school
doesn't have live steers

to practice with,

the first time Breana
will actually

ride one is in the arena.

And you come off.

Sometimes their back end's
going to come at you,

so you wanna roll away
from where you land.

While Breana
might look the part,

her Western roots are fresh,

she actually grew up
in Malibu, California.

Ever since
I was old enough to talk,

I've been interested in
Western cowboy culture.

Kind of an unexpected thing

for a little African-American
girl in Malibu

- to aspire to be.
- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

I'm always just doing things
that are completely outside

of what everybody else
in my family is doing.

When I was in high school, I was
the captain of my golf team.

I was the captain
of my soccer team,

captain of my track team.

And I was first chair trombone

- throughout high school.
- Little underachiever you were.

I still have this very
competitive background.

Breana was raised
in a conservative

and religious household.

But in college,
she began to realize

that she was attracted to women.

The first institution
where I studied,

it was not okay.

So, I just kind
of kept it a secret.

Did you go through
a period where you felt like

there was something wrong with
you and that you were sinning?

Yeah. I told one
friend about it,

and she was telling me
that, you know,

"This is the devil testing you.

You have to be able
to fight this."

I was, you know,
trying to like men more.

And it was not going well.

In her junior year,
Breana decided

to transfer colleges,

and it changed everything.

I moved to Colorado and it was a
much more welcoming environment,

and so I just became
confident enough

like a year ago to actually
come out to my parents.

So, would you say your
parents have accepted you?

I would say that
my parents know who I am.

I would say that my parents

would have preferred if
I made different choices.

But...

I still think they are proud.

Rodeo is something that
you've always loved,

and when you found
the gay rodeo,

how did that make you feel?

Super excited. It was like,
"Oh, that's a thing?

The gay rodeo is a thing?"

I haven't actually told my mom

that I'm doing this rodeo yet.

I want to make sure that
I'm all in one piece,

that I can tell her like, hey,
all my limbs are still attached.

Instead of the hospital calling?

Yes, there is that possibility.

Are you nervous about tomorrow?

I just get into this zone
and I'm just like,

"Okay, I'm here to win.
I'm not here to play around,

this isn't child's play."

Breana has guts,

but is she biting off
more than she can chew?

This may be gay rodeo,

but the competition is fierce,

and the risks are real.

Here. Go ahead and
dust your rope a little bit.

Just... you can
dust it pretty hard.

The rodeo officially
starts tomorrow,

and Breana has one last
chance to get ready.

Come down.

See how it's sticky?

Oh, that's burning.
Oh, that's hot!

They wanted to take me
and have stiches here.

Will is a seasoned steer rider,

and has offered to give her
some last minute coaching.

We're gonna be over the animal,

so we got the rope up.

He's showing her
the basics on one of his horses.

And put it on the rail here,

- don't put your weight on the animal.
- When the chute opens,

should I be anticipating,

like, should I just be here?

You're riding this animal.
Where this animal goes,

- you go.
- Right.

Don't anticipate
anything, you know,

a lot of these guys say,

"Oh, this bull bucks this way

and turns this way,"
and so they anticipate

and they get their butt,
their butts bucked off.

You get fouled on the
chute, you get hurt.

Where should that hand be?

- It should be up high, up here.
- Up here.

So, you're, what you... no,

you're throwing
your body that way,

you wanna throw your hand up
if you're going...

- if the animal's going that way.
- Okay.

- Does that make sense?
- Yeah.

- How'd that feel?
- Good.

Okay.

- Thank You - You bet.

Will's not just a coach.

All right. Go get after it.

He's also a top competitor.

He's won the rodeo's
highest prize,

the all-around cowboy buckle
for the last 2 years,

and he's gunning
for a three-peat.

I really believe I have an edge.

I've done this on the ranch,

I've done it all my life
and so it's second nature to me.

But Will may not be a "shoe in."

He'll be facing some
stiff competition.

I'm primarily known

for being a really good roper.

Many believe that
Greg is the man to beat

for the coveted
all-around cowboy buckle.

Even though a lot of people
come to just have fun,

you really want to win this.

Yes.

I'm extremely competitive
in anything that I try.

If I don't win it,

it's because I didn't do
everything possible.

Rodeo is my heart.

I love it.

I've been involved in rodeo
since I was a little kid,

uh, maybe five or six and...

You still compete in
traditional rodeos? Yes.

After you realized you were gay,

- were you still as active in the rodeo as ever?
- Yes.

I came out to my family
but I didn't come out

to people that were at rodeos.

If they could tell
that I was gay,

they made it a little
difficult sometimes.

But I competed
as hard as I could.

I've won quite a few rodeos, so.

When I started to
continually win,

they kind of backed off
they're like, "Okay.

Well, Greg is here,

he's not going to lay down

and just like
give us his money."

Because rodeo is
such a masculine sport,

is it extra important for you
to do well because in a way

you're sort of representing
other gay people?

My mission is not to go

and beat everybody
because I'm gay.

My mission is to go there

and beat everybody
because I'm me,

because I want to win.

It's for me.

And then there's David,

one of gay rodeo's
most winning cowboys.

I hate to lose
more than I like to win.

Like Greg, David also has a foot

in both the straight
and gay rodeo worlds.

Would you say that it's
fair to assume that most

of the people here at gay rodeo

might not be welcomed

at a straight rodeo?

There would definitely
be some people

that would not be accepted.

I think you kind of have
to establish yourself

as you being you and not

throwing the gay thing
as your first card.

When did you think
that you might be gay?

I knew from a very
young age that

I didn't know that
it was called gay.

My family were very
strict Catholics.

Two guys together,

you know, they would
describe it as "evil."

I actually tried
to commit suicide

four times before I was ten.

I just kept telling my mom
and dad that I was evil.

That's a pretty,

pretty strong statement to say
that you thought you were evil

when you were a little boy.

It was... it's all I knew.

As David grew older,
he eventually accepted himself

and came out to his family.

Did your parents ever
express sort of shock

because you're this cowboy
who's been involved in rodeo

and all of these
things for so long?

They thought it was
a phase, at first.

Did you ever face
any discrimination

- in straight rodeo?
- Some.

Has it made you work
harder and try harder?

Oh, for sure.

I think you always have that

little voice in the back
of your head saying,

"You're still different."

And you're competing
with people that,

you know, you consider normal,

and you want to fit in
as well as you can,

and you want to be
taken seriously.

You know, I think I unfairly
assumed that gay rodeo

would be this big party,

but it became blatantly apparent

that most of the participants

take this very, very seriously.

Yes, it's fun.

But the people involved
with gay rodeo

are in it to win it.

At gay rodeo,
everyone has a story.

And most of the participants

have experienced real pain.

And this rodeo has allowed them

to be who they are

and do what they love.

I can't wait until tomorrow.

I have a feeling
I'm going to be witnessing

some extremely
serious competitors.

We sure do
appreciate you all coming out

and spending
the weekend with us.

It's rodeo day,

for the competitors,
it's finally time to show off

their hard work and preparation.

Will has competed
in hundreds of rodeos,

but this one
will be a milestone.

For the first time,
his daughters have decided

to come see him compete
in a gay rodeo.

I have not put
that part of my life

into my children's life.

Now, the two worlds
he's kept so separate

will finally come together.

I woke up yesterday morning

with a lot of anxiety.

But the minute that
my kids are here

and they're on the stands,
and I see them,

the nervousness
is gonna go away.

Will's daughters have
accepted that he's gay,

but his son still
struggles with it.

I still text him,

I called him and left messages.

He's not speaking to me.

And I respect that,
but I'm not gonna stop

letting him know
I think about him.

So, given that your son's
not speaking to you,

what does it mean to you
that your daughters

have decided to come see
you at gay rodeo?

I'm very close to my girls,
so I'm real excited.

So, I got to perform well.

Come on guys, move up.

Let's go.

Will's been a regular
at gay rodeo for 15 years,

but one man has been
here since the beginning.

What do you want, big boy?

- How long have you had him?
- He'll be nine years old.

- Get your head back.
- Hi, Diamond.

Get your head back.

Feeding time.

At 65 years old,

John is one of the circuit's

longest competing cowboys.

How many years has the gay
rodeo been going on now?

Denver is the oldest,
we just had our 32nd.

- So 32 years?
- Yup.

I've been to every one of those.

- Really?
- Yeah.

How long do you think
you can do this?

I had my physical
two months ago,

they come back and said I was
in the shape of a 30-year-old.

In the early 1980's,

John came out at the age of 33

in a small Western town.

This was not only difficult,

it was dangerous.

I went to get in my car,

put the key in the ignition

and I just happen to look up

and on the windshield
was written in blood,

"Move or die."

So that shook me up,

pretty good.

So, I slept with a gun

for about six, eight months.

The gay rodeo became a refuge

where john could feel accepted.

But the gay rodeo was not
always accepted by others.

Reno, Nevada,

that was gonna be one
of our first finals rodeos

and I pulled up
my truck to the gate

and the, uh, sheriff was there,

and I just thought they were
welcoming us to the rodeo,

instead of that, no.

They surrounded my truck,

one cop on one side,
one cop on the other side,

pulled up to the doors,
I couldn't get out,

and one behind us.

And uh he pulled his gun

and, uh,

he said, "No queers
allowed on this property."

And I knew he was in the wrong,

but I knew, you know, that
they could either shoot me,

or, you know, or beat me up,
or something, you know.

I got to keep myself
together here.

- But I don't think people knew what I went through.
- Uh-hmm.

I'm so scared for
your own life, you know?

How often do you think
about that day

when you're out there competing?

I have to forget it.

You got to let it go.

It'll kill you.

It'll tear you apart.

When you're out
there competing now,

how does it feel?

Freedom.

It's a very, very hard life.

Is there anything that
you would want to say

to those people who
wrote that on your car?

That I'm still here.

And I'm still riding and I'm
doing what I wanted to do.

The gay rodeo may have many

of the same events
as straight rodeo,

but it was started for
a very different reason.

When we started,
you know, 30, 35 years ago,

it became fundraisers
to help people that were,

you know, confronted with
the AIDS and the HIV crisis.

And these people
didn't have funds.

They were being
kicked out of jobs,

kicked out of housing, you know,

they were being isolated
in hospitals.

They had nothing,
so we were doing rodeos,

as charity rodeos,

raising funds to give
money to our own people.

We lost a lot
of incredible cowboys

- and cowgirls. When you
say you lost a lot to AIDS,

about how many?

I personally knew,

probably at least 35, 40 people,

one after the other.

And you know, you saw them
on the rodeo circuit,

you know, rodeo after rodeo,

and then all of a sudden
you didn't see them.

And we continue to lose some
of our family members to that.

Every gay rodeo features
a riderless horse ceremony

to honor those who have fallen.

The ceremony symbolizes

the end of the relationship
between the horse and rider.

Welcome to Zia Regional Rodeo.

The rodeo is about
to begin. People have driven in

from all over
the country to be here,

including two young women who
are going to watch their father

compete in the gay rodeo
for the very first time.

One of the first
events of the day

at the Zia Regional gay rodeo

is breakaway roping.

In this event,
a cowboy or cowgirl

lassos a calf from horseback.

Go.

Alright,
now we're going to be looking

for Mr. John Beck from
Broomfield, Colorado.

65-year-old John
starts out strong,

but today, the calf wins.

San Diego, California
is home to Mr. David Renier.

It's also a miss
for all-star cowboy, David.

Coming in next,

Mr. Greg Begay from
San Tan Valley, Arizona.

Greg lassos
his calf in record time

and takes the lead.

Next in,

Texas cowboy, Mr. Will Lann.

Will's up next
and I'm in the stands

with two very
special spectators.

Will wants
to welcome his daughters,

Karly and Kyndel,
to see him perform

in this weekend's rodeo.

He's sure glad to have
them here and so are we.

Having you guys out here

in the stands makes him
a little nervous.

How are you guys feeling?

Well, we, I don't know,

we've always watched him rope

and ride and we know
he's good so...

- Yeah.
- We're fine.

Kyndel and Karly grew up
in a small conservative town,

where being gay was something
people kept to themselves.

What was it like to grow up
with a gay dad in the West?

Well, we didn't usually
tell people just for the fear

of the stigma and,
you know, people would,

I think we told
like a few people

and they like made fun
of us and stuff,

so like we never told
anyone after that,

and my dad lived in
a different town.

Did you ever feel like he
was trying to protect you all?

Yeah, I do, because

he usually never had
his boyfriend over,

and he would never like
try to push that side

of his life on us.

I just wonder if it
makes you sad at all

that he felt like he had to sort
of lead two separate lives?

Hmm, I understand it.

It being for us and, you know,

so we didn't get made fun of.

But now that we're adults
and now he's including us now,

it means a lot to us, so.

And I feel like society is more

accepting of it now.

Go, Will.

He's going slow.

Man, he was nervous.

Will's calf got away from him,

but having his daughters
in the stands

is a great consolation prize.

Are you proud of your dad?

Yes.

He's gone through quite a bit.

I know it's probably not
easy to talk about this stuff

because I guess it's stuff
that's kind of been swept

under the rug
for a long time, huh?

I think it took a lot
of courage for him to,

you know, come out
and be who he was

and still have his family.

And so I kind of admire
that, you know,

it's kind of like,
be who you want to be

and let other people think
what they want to think.

So much has
changed in recent years

for people in the
LGBT community,

gay marriage is now allowed
in more than half of our states.

But one man here reminded me

that many gay people
still live in fear.

This cowboy goes by
the pseudonym, "Bubba."

He's agreed to speak with us
but has requested

that we conceal his identity

because he's still
in the closet.

You're almost 50 years old?

Yes.

Why aren't you out?

Because my job,
it's really hard.

I work for a high
security prison.

What has that been
like for you, to be a gay

and not be able to live
your life fully, day-to-day?

Um, it's really bad.

You know, it's like even
going to these rodeos, um,

I can't, you know,
I talk to people at work,

I tell them I go to
different states,

because I can't tell them
the rodeos I'm going to,

because if they look it up,
it's a gay rodeo.

And I don't want
that coming out.

Bubba didn't grow up with rodeo,

but he loves the
macho environment

and competes in the physically
demanding rough stock events.

So when you found gay rodeo,

and you met all
these gay cowboys,

how did that make you feel?

It's amazing, because

it's what I like doing,
you know, and it's,

um, I'm accepted.

It lets me be myself
and have fun, you know.

Sometimes it's almost like
a fantasy I'm going to.

You know, it's yeah, so.

Why is it a fantasy?

Because I can't be
out to people.

It's hard,
it really is sometimes.

It's like people always
say you could change,

and if I didn't have to be gay,

I wouldn't be gay.

I mean, I would be
so happy, you know,

being straight.

It'd be easier that way, but,

um, but I am gay.

Do you think you'll
ever come out?

You know, I can retire
in a few years, yeah.

Once I retire from my job, yeah.

It's, it's hard
right now, but someday.

Probably life will
be so much better.

Hang on there, Bubba.

Oh.

Like bubba, Will spent years

caught between two worlds.

But today, he's taken a big
step towards reconciling them.

I just don't miss
my calves very often.

Because you were nervous.

No, I wasn't nervous,
I just threw my rope...

I dropped my arm.

Nineteen forty-three.

Nineteen forty-three for Greg.

Brings us to Mr. John Beck
from Broomfield, Colorado.

In event after event,
the contestants duke it out

for all-around cowboy.

That's gonna
bring us to Mr. David Renier

from San Diego, California.

It's gonna shape up like
this I think, unofficially.

Fourth should go to
Mr. David Renier

for our men's barrel
racing today.

As the day unfolds,

it's clear that gay rodeo

isn't just a rodeo
to its participants.

For some, it's the one place
they can truly be themselves.

For others, it's an opportunity

to live out a life-long dream.

We're going to get ready

to do some junior bull riding,

that's gonna be our first
event of the afternoon.

It's finally the moment
that Breana's been waiting for.

This will be Breana's first
time ever on a steer.

I'm nervous for her,
I know she's nervous,

so I'm not going to talk
to her right now,

I'm gonna let her do her thing.

Breana has to stay on the steer
for at least six seconds,

an eternity when
you are on the back

of a thousand pound animal.

Breana Cowart
from Boulder, Colorado.

She's a new contestant
out on the circuit.

When that chute gate opens,

I expect to be able
to hear everybody

giving her the
encouragement she needs

to make that six-second ride.

This is Will's last
opportunity to give her advice.

You're doing good.

Lock your legs,
lock your spurs into him.

Balance. Watch that head.

Go, Bre!

Breana came up just
a few seconds short,

still a huge accomplishment
for her first time on a steer.

That was amazing, oh, my God.

How are you feeling?

I feel good.

- I'm feeling good.
- Oh, my God, I'm crying.

I was just, like, I don't
think I've felt so nervous

in a long time.

That was awesome. Great job.

Thanks.

Wow.

Badass.

Good job.

It was close.

You did good, you recovered
two or three times.

- Thanks.
- You bet.

That was good. I like this.

I'm just curious,
do you have a message

to your mom right now?

Sorry, mom.

I meant to tell you sooner.

Um, but I knew you'd worry
because you love me.

I love you, too.

Steer riding
this weekend is sponsored

by New Mexico AIDS Services.

We're gonna get him
all tied in there.

Have a free hand
that's got to stay up.

Of all the events at the rodeo,

steer riding is by far
the most difficult.

You can't touch the animal,

you can't touch the
cowboy during the ride.

And the most fun to watch.

Alright,
here we go, let him hear you.

Got to make it six seconds.

Lost control, no time.

Kind of got himself sideways.

Now, it's Will's turn
to go one on one with a steer.

Will's daughters aren't his
only fans in the audience.

Michael, his partner
of two years, is also here.

I am very much in love
with Michael.

He's a great guy and I feel
like that's where my life is.

- You got it tight?
- Yes.

I think he's ready to go here.

Okay.

Okay.

Go, Will.

He's gonna ride.

- He's gonna get it.
- Here we go,

let him hear you folks.
He's coming home.

How do you feel when
Will does the steer riding?

It makes me really
nervous because, you know,

you never know
what's gonna happen.

It's a little scary
to watch him,

but it's kind of
a turn on, isn't it?

It is. I mean,
it's an adrenaline rush.

I mean, you have somebody
out there that you love

that's doing what they
love, and, and it's,

- a little bit dangerous...
- And it's just...

and it's just
so manly and, and...

- Kind of hot.
- It is. It is.

And he's a hot cowboy.
So, what can I do?

First place today,
Mr. Will Lann.

Michael's not
just a rodeo husband.

He's also becoming a competitor.

We're ready.
We're ready to do this.

He and will are partners

in one of the most cutthroat
events in the rodeo,

goat dressing.

The rules of goat
dressing are simple,

the team that puts
the tighty whities

on the goat fastest wins.

Goats wearing underwear,

drag queens on steers,

and Abba on the loudspeaker.

Yup, this is gay rodeo.

Johnny is trying to get on.

Oh, now we got to get him, oh.

Everyone here competes hard,

but at the end of the day,
they also play hard.

- Should I be scared?
- Yes.

Oh, man...

It's a rodeo thing.

- Help her out.
- Just shake your leg.

- Help her.
- What do you think?

Ooh. That's good.

Gay rodeo, straight rodeo,

a lot of things
different about them,

but one thing that is constant,

the whiskey.

The rodeo is winding
down and competitors

are starting to think
about their daily lives.

But Breana is still
replaying the steer ride

in her head.

How do you feel?

Well, you know,
I always struggle

with trying to let
go of expectations

and I wanted to do really well.

You don't think you
did really well?

I, I wanted to do better.

Hopefully, I'll come back
and I'll be able to do

a little bit better
at the next rodeo.

So you haven't given up?

I definitely haven't given up.

This is something, you know,

I want it to be
where people are like,

"Hey Breana,
there's a steer rider,

maybe you can ask
her for advice,

like I want to win."

And I also want
to be able to turn around

and help other people
like I have been helped.

Thank you.

Breana came to the
rodeo for a physical challenge.

Come on Bre,
to the left, to the left.

You got it, you got it.

Push to the left.

Left.

But she's leaving
with much more.

I feel a very strong sense

of love from the community.

That sense
of community has also spread

to Will's daughter, Kyndel.

She and a family friend
have moved from the stands

to the arena, and are
participating in a goat

dressing competition
for audience members.

Will couldn't have
imagined this moment.

I've asked her to come
about three or four years ago,

and she told me, "I don't
think I'm ready for that."

And I kind of felt that maybe

she would never be
ready for this.

It's an awesome feeling.

I'm a proud, very proud dad.

Alright, we're
going to get started.

Our calf roping on foot
results for women

for first go-around.

The rodeo's over
and it's time to see

who walks away a winner.

And our steer-
riding buckle for the weekend

goes to Wilma Lann.

Yeah.

Congratulations.

Will has a strong showing,

but when all the
ribbons are counted...

All-around cowboy, Greg B.

It's Greg who takes
the rodeo's biggest prize.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you so much.

Here, friendships
prevail over rivalries.

Both feet.

Yeah.

Perhaps one day,
the barrier between straight

and gay rodeo will fall.

There will be that one
person that comes out and says,

"This is who I am
and I'm just as good

a cowboy as anybody else,

and it doesn't matter
who I have as a partner."

It'll be quite a moment
for all the history of rodeo.

Until then, gay rodeo
will continue to serve

a very important role
the lives of these cowboys

and cowgirls.

And we all persevered
and came together

and found a place to feel
comfortable and loved.

It's more like a family.

It's like being at home.

Almost everyone in that arena

had a story of feeling
unaccepted

at some point in their lives.

And so that made the
competition even more fierce

and whether they
were winners or losers,

I thought that there were
a lot of victories today.