Out West: Pride in the Saddle – A Celebration of AGRA

On behalf of the Gay and Lesbian Rodeo Heritage Foundation, OutWest, AGRA and the Burton Barr Library, I would like to invite you to a month-long celebration of your history and contributions to the GLBT Community.

In 1988 a court in Reno, Nevada approved an injunction and prevented a gay rodeo from occurring on private property and threatened to arrest anyone who tried to do different. Today, 30 years later, the gay community is a sought after partner in the western culture, largely due to the member associations of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA).

In March 2013 we will celebrate the Arizona Gay Rodeo Association (AGRA) for the first time ever in a “public” space at the Burton Barr Library on Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona! Memorabilia from AGRA will be on display on the second floor of the library all month long, starting with the First Friday Art Tour on March 1. On Saturday, March 2, a panel comprised of John King, Dan Iversen, and Chuck Browning, with Ron Trusley as Moderator, will present a free discussion called “Pride in the Saddle: Arizona”. The panel presentation is scheduled for 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Then on each Thursday in March a free special western/rodeo themed event will be presented, including a not to be missed presentation called “Beyond Brokeback.”

We hope you will attend, support and enjoy these programs, while taking the opportunity to be celebrated by the public for all you do as members of AGRA.
Wear your boots.

The schedule of events is:

• Friday-March 1 – 6:00-8:00 pm: First Friday – “Sneak Peek” of AGRA Rodeo Exhibit
• Saturday-March 2 – 2:00-4:00 pm: Pride in the Saddle-Arizona presentation
• Thursday-March 7 – 6:30-8:00 pm: Beyond Brokeback – a staged reading with music
• Thursday-March 21 – 6:30-8:00 pm: Gregory Hinton – author, filmmaker and playwright discusses writing books and making films with LGBT themes.
• Thursday-March 28 – 6:00-8:00 pm: Two Spirits screening and discussion with filmmaker Lydia Nibley

Sincerely,

Brian Helander, President, Gay and Lesbian Rodeo Heritage Foundation
on behalf of the great team of AGRA members who have worked so hard to make this happen….John King, Ron Trusley, Dan Iversen, Tim Dougherty, Micheal Weidmann