Through the Gate, In the Arena

Growing up in the rodeo world was something that I always felt familiar with but was never really home to; to this world, my sexuality is a taboo. Through the Gate, In the Arena reveals a different side of the rodeo, one that is little known. It was only until I began this project that I found that gay rodeo existed. While I still happily go to straight rodeos, the disappointment in those years drives me to create the work in this project. The title Through the Gate, In the Arena comes from the idea of traveling through the chutes behind the scenes of the gay rodeo while also metaphorically calling to the difficulty of everyday life as a queer. The action of stepping through the gate is only the beginning while the arena has the possibility of fun, terror, and worry alongside being watched throughout your duration there. Continuing this project within the next few years, I will begin to travel to people’s homes, document some of their lives when they’re not at the rodeos, and see where and if that fits into this project.