PRINTOn the Job: Mr. Missouri Gay Rodeo Association
Vox learns about gay rodeo from Missouri’s best buck
Courtesy of Dennis Kitchen
In October, Dennis Kitchen, Mr. Missouri Gay Rodeo Association 2008, travels to New Orleans to compete in the International Gay Rodeo Association royalty competition. Kitchen turns over his title to a new area representative in November.
April 24, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Dennis Kitchen, Mr. Missouri Gay Rodeo Association 2008, must be quick on his feet as the head of the MGRA royalty. He participates in rodeo competitions around the Midwest and works the crowd between events. He also organizes fundraisers for the four charities the MGRA donates to every year, including Passages, a group that benefits Kansas City-area LGBT teens. Vox talks to the state champion about his life, the sport and the celebrity of being Mr. MGRA 2008.
Vox: How did you get involved in gay rodeo?
Dennis Kitchen: My best friend was in the rodeo group, and he talked to me a little bit about it. So I went to my first gay rodeo. I noticed there was a bunch of people out there raising money and doing shows, and they were wearing sashes, and I’m like “Well, that looks interesting.” So I started researching it a little bit more and got involved in the actual royalty candidate program.
Vox: Is this your full-time job?
DK: No, actually, I work for Missouri Sewing Machine Company, a family business that’s been around since 1932. I’m a manager at one of their stores. I sell and service sewing machines and educate on sewing.
Vox: As a member of MGRA royalty, what do your duties entail?
DK: We either do events in the rodeos, or we’re in the back of the rodeo performing to earn money for charities. Or we’re in the arena, setting up the barrels, getting stuff ready for the next event. We don’t just get to stand there and look pretty. All the money we earn goes to charity.
Vox: What’s the following of gay rodeo like?
DK: We usually have 75 to 85 contestants and 800 to 1,000 spectators and volunteers every weekend.
Vox: Do people ever recognize you in public?
DK: We get recognized quite a bit. My kids even get it. I have custody of my boys, and we do the AIDS walk as a family, and I’ll tell you what, it’s unbelievable how much recognition and acknowledgment they get.
Vox: Do you think Brokeback Mountain helped change the public’s perception of the gay cowboy?
DK: It helped a lot of ladies understand. I was married for almost 10 years; a lot of people didn’t understand how I could say, “Oh, by the way, I’m gay.” It’s not that gay men who were married didn’t love the women; it’s that the women didn’t do anything else for us. It’s not just about the sex; it’s about the companionship. Do I love my ex-wife? Yeah, she’s the love of my life. Am I gonna love a woman again like that? No. The film showed women that it’s not just happening to them; it’s happening to a lot of women all over the United States.
