'We're better than we were in the '80s, but we've still got a long way to go,' Earp says. 'They're not real cowboys,' one man says. But for decades they've been ostracized, bullied and persecuted by 'real cowboys.' In one scene, Livardy interviews cowboys at a traditional rodeo in Waco, where the hatred for the gay rodeo still runs strong. With the addition of a few playful costumes and different kind of rodeo queen, these are just your run-of-the-mill cowboys. 'When I saw the final film, it's just a film about people's every day lives.' 'At first, I was really worried about how we would be portrayed, I was afraid this was just going to be a gay movie,' Earp says.
Earp, a Dallas native and award-winning bull rider, admits that he was nervous about putting an entire year of his life on screen. For his documentary, Livardy interviewed countless cowboys on the gay rodeo circuit with Earp's story as the anchor. Sunday as part of the Dallas International Film Festival. Matt Livadary's film screens at the Angelika Film Center at 12:30 p.m.
A few shots later, you meet Wade Earp, a 45-year-old cowboy who runs a ranch and competes in rodeo. ' The opening lines of the film Queens & Cowboys are given by Western historian Michael Johnson. You've got decades and decades of imagery that say that's who it is.
'I think the basic tradition is manliness, bravery, perseverance.
