​Exciting competition at the tenth and final gay rodeo of the IGRA 2017 season concluded this weekend at the BigHorn Rodeo in Las Vegas. A team of IGRA officials is working feverishly now to tally points earned all year long to determine who qualifies as the twenty top- performing men and women in the world of gay rodeo. This will result in invitations to compete at the World Gay Rodeo Finals®, the weekend of October 20-22 at the Expo New Mexico Indoor Horse Arena at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Spectators, fans, and rodeo enthusiasts near and far can expect to see gay rodeo competition at its best. But wait - there’s more.

Add a little glitz and glam – it is, after all, a gay rodeo. In addition to the best in gay rodeo competition the world has to offer, the World Gay Rodeo Finals® also includes a full schedule all weekend long of colorful, lively, and fantastically entertaining Royalty as part of the annual IGRA Royalty Competition. So, what is Royalty exactly? Please read on.

If you’re unfamiliar, in short, Royalty at the gay rodeo is similar to mainstream rodeos where rodeo queens are dubbed Royalty. At the gay rodeo, there are a few levels of royalty beginning at the local rodeo chapter level and progressing to exalted status at the International Gay Rodeo Association, the sanctioning body for gay rodeo nationwide. Royalty titles include Mr. (a cowboy with a sash); Miss (a female impersonator in drag); Ms. (a cowgirl with a sash); and MsTer (a male impersonator). Of course, there’s much more to this and it’s all a great deal of fun.

This year at the World Gay Rodeo Finals®, competition will be fierce for the coveted royalty titles of Mr. IGRA, Miss IGRA, Ms. IGRA, and MsTer IGRA. Tré Brewbaker, reigning Mr. NMGRA (New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association), said sixteen candidates from nearly every gay rodeo association in the nation will be on hand to compete for the top honor of being crowned Mr., Miss, Ms., or MsTer IGRA 2018.

The excitement begins Friday, October 20 th , when Donnie Lee Strickland takes to the stage at Sidewinder’s Bar in Albuquerque from 6 – 6:30PM performing in his signature style as a leading country-western vocalist. Opening ceremonies for the Finals Rodeo follow 6:30 – 7:30PM. Among the highlights will be a native American ceremony – something not to be missed according to Miss New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association, Marie Antoinette Du Barry. Finally, live IGRA Royalty competition follows at 7:30PM until last call. Expect to see drag at its best in style, talent, humor, and more. It’s sure to be a scream!

Saturday’s schedule includes gay rodeo at its very beast 8am to 5pm at the Expo New Mexico Indoor Horse Arena in Albuquerque. Solemn moments during Grand Entry (the half- time ceremonial interlude) include a posting of colors tribute to our nation where gay rodeo exists peacefully among all other athletics; and a brief but always stirring memorial to departed colleagues. Other entertainment planned Saturday at the Expo New Mexico rodeo grounds will include additional performances by Donnie Lee Strickland, the Austin Baptist Women, as well as a host of local performers.

Saturday night activities at Sidewinders will include Royalty crowing of the top contestants from Friday’s competition as they assume their titles and roles for the 2018 gay rodeo season. Included also will be Royalty step-down from 2017, Ten-Year Anniversary recognition, and a fund-raising event. Sunday will be the second and concluding day of competition at the World Gay Rodeo Finals® (8am – 5pm). The outside entertainment program will be similar to Saturday’s, with Donnie Lee Strickland performing, the Austin Baptist Women, IGRA Royalty in all their finest, as well as local performers - all at Expo.

Sunday’s highlight will be the World Gay Rodeo Finals® awards banquet and ceremony, 7PM to Midnight in the Anasazi Ballroom at the Sheraton at Albuquerque International Airport. Live music and dancing provided by Donnie Lee Strickland and company. If you’re a fan of rodeo, if you like cowboys or queens, if you love pageantry, live performances, outstanding country-western music and dancing, there’s something for you at the World Gay Rodeo Finals®, October 20-22, 2017. In the words of Marie Antionette Du Barry: “Come for the competition. Stay for the fun.”  Learn more at www.igra-wgrf.com.

​October is historically LGBTQ History Month, but we’ll really learn a lot that’s useful every day from recent anti-LGBTQ history. Most importantly, when we look back we realize that there’s nothing new today that’s being said about LGBTQ people by their detractors.
 
Yes, that’s nothing, nothing at all, because they have nothing new to say. If something sounds new to you in your experience, at least recognize that it’s been said before.
 
It’s all been said for at least the last half-century. There are no new arguments that we haven’t heard for generations whether they’re religious, psychological, historical, gender-based, or those that cite “traditional” values or something else “traditional.”
 
Let’s start with religious arguments. New? Nothing?
 
All the Bible passages have been discussed now for multiple generations. And the reality is that each of the passages regurgitated again and again to argue against “homosexuality” (a concept not found in the Bible) have probably at least three to five different interpretations in Biblical scholarship.
 
What’s quite striking is that only one of the multiple interpretations of these verses is anti-LGBTQ people. Why that one is popular among regressive religion reflects the fact that the most popular interpretation of any scripture of any kind in any culture will be the one that supports the culture’s current prejudices.
 
As cultural prejudices change, other interpretations become more acceptable. And that’s been happening for over fifty years in terms of these passages.
 
Take our culture’s changing view on slavery, which the Bible supports and never says should be abolished. It was the rise of the abolitionist movement that began to question traditional pro-slavery interpretations of the Bible, pointing out that there are other ways to understand it.
 
The largest US Protestant denomination emerged in 1847 to protect pro-slavery Biblical interpretations that supported the economic system. 150 years later, they apologized.
 
If religious people really want to study and understand these passages rather than just use the Bible to confirm their prejudices, all the information has been available for over fifty years.
 
And this applies to all religious traditions and all of their scriptures and histories.
 
The historical fact is that in every one of the “isms” we identify as religions today (Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, etc.), there have been times in their histories when they’ve accepted LGBTQ people and times when they haven’t. All claims that one of the religions has always been or taught something are ahistorical.
 
The varieties of so many of the beliefs and practices on any subject in each of these isms are great and dependent upon cultural influences. So there’s very little all members of each one have agreed upon.
 
That means that choosing a position and saying that it’s what a religion or scripture teaches about LGBTQ people is a decision based upon one’s previous biases and assumptions. It arbitrarily ignores or declares heretical the vast history of alternatives to one’s preferred view of the “ism.”
 
That also means that any claim that something is “traditional” either religiously, nationalistically, or otherwise is merely the picking and choosing of a viewpoint by ignoring all the historical alternatives to how one just wants things to be. And, remember, historians for generations now have already traced the history of the varieties within all these “isms.”
 
New arguments from psychology? None. All debunked.
 
Back in the 1970s the mainstream professional psychological associations rejected the view that homosexuality was an illness to be treated. Since then their stands have not only strengthened, but they’ve rejected as unprofessional and harmful any attempts that right-wingers make - fortified mostly again by religious interpretations - to do what they call therapy to change the sexual orientation of anyone.
 
Since then, more professional organizations in the fields of medicine and education have agreed. So, to call these abusive attempts at the brainwashing of LGBTQ people “therapy” is worse than a joke – it’s enabling damage.
 
As a result, stuck anti-LGBTQ people have had to form their own little groups to push their long debunked, outdated, prejudicial views. They can sound, thereby, scientific in their claims about LGBTQ people rather than just admitting that their position is only rooted in their personal unfounded beliefs and prejudices.
 
Back in 1999, eleven of the major professional organizations worked together to issue a joint statement expressing their concerns about the harassment of LGBTQ youth, and condemning all the brainwashing techniques falsely called “therapies” with words like “conversion” and “reparative” in front of them as harmful and ineffective.
 
New arguments from the other natural or social sciences? Nope. All the fields have rejected anti-LGBTQ claims and moved on.
 
For more than the last fifty years, anthropologists and sociologists have noted that the wide varieties of acceptance and rejection of LGBTQ people vary across time and cultures. Homophobia and anti-LGBTQ views are not universal, inborn, or necessary for a society’s successful functioning.
 
The actual long histories of the acceptance of same-sex activity, for example, in many cultures have been suppressed by buying into prejudices spread in the colonialism of European conquerors. The acceptance of gender-variant and other forms of transgender people - including, in many cultures, the fact that those who did not conform to male/female gender binaries were viewed as holding a higher, even sacred status – has been fully documented.
 
And the claim that “traditional marriage” is the coupling of one man and one woman is historically just false, even laughable. Polygamy of various forms was more “traditionally” common, as evident, for example, even in Biblical texts.
 
Observations of animal behavior have shown us examples in numerous species of the scientifically naturalness of same-sex behavior and coupling. It’s one of the variations of animal life.
 
None of this means that we’ll hear the end of the regurgitation of all these old debunked arguments soon. They’re all just too conveniently useful as ways to cover up the underlying prejudices, sexual orientation and gender confusions and fears, and other motives of those who use them.
 
But none of them, remember, not one of them, holds water.
 
Robert N. Minor, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of Kansas, is author of When Religion Is an Addiction; Scared Straight: Why It’s So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard to BeHuman; and Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society. Contact him at www.FairnessProject.org.

Today, MillerCoors announced it raised $72,000 through its 2017 Tap Into Change program. Through Tap Into Change, MillerCoors works directly with local bars and restaurants to promote equality by donating a percentage of sales to nonprofits in support of the LGBTQ community in select cities nationwide. Now in its sixth year, MillerCoors has donated $175,000 to local groups and organizations focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) issues as a result of the program.
 
“We are thrilled with the results of this year’s Tap Into Change program,” said Karina Diehl, MillerCoors director of community affairs. “As a company that celebrates Pride all year long, we’ll continue to extend our support to the LGBTQ community through long-standing partnerships, like HRC, and our employee resource group: LAGER (LGBTQ and Allies Group Employee Resources).” MillerCoors has a proven track record of supporting the causes most crucial to the LGBTQ community and we remain committed to advancing diversity and inclusion within the company and across the communities we serve.”
 
MillerCoors has a long history of improving diversity within its workplace and was awarded the 2016 Corporate Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), receiving a 100 percent rating on HRC Corporate Equality Index for the past 14 years. MillerCoors was also the first company in the alcohol beverage industry to provide domestic partner benefits and has donated $300,000 toward LGBTQ nonprofit organizations in 2017. This is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to promote diversity within the company and the communities it serves as part of the new 2025 Global Goals, developed in partnership with Molson Coors. MillerCoors partnerships with the HRC, Matthew Shepard Foundation, and other nationwide LGBTQ organizations are working to advance equality for the LGBTQ community.
 
MillerCoors partnerships with the HRC, Matthew Shepard Foundation and other nationwide LGBTQ organizations are working to advance equality for the LGBTQ community.
 
“Complementing their inclusive policies, MillerCoors has been a visible force within the LGBTQ community for many years and has showcased this support loud and proud,” said Jason Bricker, Director of Corporate Relations, Human Rights Campaign. “MillerCoors has supported the Human Rights Campaign since 1995 through various event sponsorships within the organization both locally and nationally. This level of support and commitment allows our organization to thrive and continue to do the work we do for the LGBTQ community.”

$72,000 contributed to local LGBTQ nonprofit organizations in 2017
Today, MillerCoors announced it raised $72,000 through its 2017 Tap Into Change program. Through Tap Into Change, MillerCoors works directly with local bars and restaurants to promote equality by donating a percentage of sales to nonprofits in support of the LGBTQ community in select cities nationwide. Now in its sixth year, MillerCoors has donated $175,000 to local groups and organizations focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) issues as a result of the program.
​
“We are thrilled with the results of this year’s Tap Into Change program,” said Karina Diehl, MillerCoors director of community affairs. “As a company that celebrates Pride all year long, we’ll continue to extend our support to the LGBTQ community through long-standing partnerships, like HRC, and our employee resource group: LAGER (LGBTQ and Allies Group Employee Resources).” MillerCoors has a proven track record of supporting the causes most crucial to the LGBTQ community and we remain committed to advancing diversity and inclusion within the company and across the communities we serve.”
 
MillerCoors has a long history of improving diversity within its workplace and was awarded the 2016 Corporate Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), receiving a 100 percent rating on HRC Corporate Equality Index for the past 14 years. MillerCoors was also the first company in the alcohol beverage industry to provide domestic partner benefits and has donated $300,000 toward LGBTQ nonprofit organizations in 2017. This is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to promote diversity within the company and the communities it serves as part of the new 2025 Global Goals, developed in partnership with Molson Coors. MillerCoors partnerships with the HRC, Matthew Shepard Foundation, and other nationwide LGBTQ organizations are working to advance equality for the LGBTQ community.
 
MillerCoors partnerships with the HRC, Matthew Shepard Foundation and other nationwide LGBTQ organizations are working to advance equality for the LGBTQ community.
 
“Complementing their inclusive policies, MillerCoors has been a visible force within the LGBTQ community for many years and has showcased this support loud and proud,” said Jason Bricker, Director of Corporate Relations, Human Rights Campaign. “MillerCoors has supported the Human Rights Campaign since 1995 through various event sponsorships within the organization both locally and nationally. This level of support and commitment allows our organization to thrive and continue to do the work we do for the LGBTQ community.”
 
About MillerCoors
Through its diverse collection of storied breweries, MillerCoors brings American beer drinkers an unmatched selection of the highest quality beers, flavored malt beverages and ciders, steeped in centuries of brewing heritage. Miller Brewing Company and Coors Brewing Company brew national favorites such as Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Coors Light and Coors Banquet. MillerCoors also proudly offers beers such as Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy from sixth-generation Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, and Blue Moon Belgian White from modern craft pioneer Blue Moon Brewing Company, founded in 1995. Beyond beer, MillerCoors operates Crispin Cider Company, an artisanal maker of pear and apple ciders using fresh-pressed American juice, and offers pioneering brands such as the Redd’s franchise, Smith & Forge Hard Cider and Henry’s Hard Sodas. Tenth and Blake Beer Company, our craft and import division, is the home to craft brewers Hop Valley Brewing, Revolver Brewing, Saint Archer Brewing Company and the Terrapin Beer Company. Tenth and Blake also imports world-renowned beers such as Italy’s Peroni Nastro Azzurro, the Czech Republic’s Pilsner Urquell and the Netherlands’ Grolsch. MillerCoors, the U.S. business unit of the Molson Coors Brewing Company, has an uncompromising dedication to quality, a keen focus on innovation and a deep commitment to sustainability. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, atfacebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter at @MillerCoors.