Meet 20-year-old Nick Comes. By day, he’s a women’s hair stylist. On the weekends, he’s rodeo rockstar.“When I go to the salon, I look like a totally different person,” Nick tells OZY magazine. “I’m not in boots and jeans and a cowboy hat.
And so when people ask me what else I do, and I tell them rodeo, they give me a weird look.”Related: Strap On A Saddle Because Arkansas’ Gay Rodeo Is Just Getting Bigger and BetterNick lives in the tiny town of Lander, Wyoming.
He’s been doing rodeo pretty much his entire life.“I started rodeo when I was 3,” he says. “My mom did it when she was in high school, and my grandma’s second husband was a PRCA [Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association] roper.
And that’s all I’ve done since.”Nick came out when he was 15. He was the first student in his high school ever to do so.“Before I came out as gay, I was kind of terrified to,” he says. “It’s never been very acceptable in the rodeo circle; it’s just not something you see or hear about every day.”Related: The Gay Rodeo: Cultural Landmark Or Animal Cruelty?To his surprise, people were much accepting than he thought they would be.