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

Finalist for the 2025 Colorado Book Award

Rainbow Cattle Co. tells the story of gay rodeo as an overlooked and important part of the LGBTQ liberation movement. Nicholas Villanueva, Jr., argues that the history of gay liberation has been oversimplified as a fight for sexual freedom in the major cities of the 1970s. But, as Villanueva reveals, the gay liberation movement thrived in rodeo in the U.S. West and in rural communities throughout America. LGBTQ rodeo athletes liberated themselves from the heteronormative social world of sport and upended stereotypes of sport and queer identity. Organizers, athletes, and spectators fought to protect their rights to openly participate in sports, and their activism was pivotal in the fight against AIDS.

Rainbow Cattle Co. reveals a history of gay liberation through rodeo, which from the mid-1970s provided a safe space where LGBTQ athletes could focus on their sport and evolved into a highly successful philanthropic organization by the end of the twentieth century. This intersectional study of LGBTQ athletes, heteronormativity, Western history, and sport builds on scholarship from ethnic studies, critical sports studies, sociology, and history.