Andrew Waite
Mineral Independent
They came to Montana to enjoy each other’s company for the weekend, but for a few hours on Saturday the mostly male group participating in the Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association fundraiser was at war.
“Forward ho!” Screamed JC, emphasizing the second word. He wanted his boat to charge head on into one of the group’s other rafts that was supposed to be leisurely floating down the Clark Fork River. Instead, the members of that raft were fiercely paddling upstream toward the one JC was sitting in.
JC is what everyone called him, and he did not want to be identified as anything else. He jokingly said the letters stood for Jesus Christ. He had skinny arms, a Ying-Yang tattoo on his shoulder and a round belly. He only stopped babbling when he needed a long hit of his cigarette or a deep sip from his University of Wyoming mug, which he said contained a combination of whiskey and water. Because JC’s hands were occupied by his cigarette and drink, he did not paddle. He was the only one of the seven people in the raft not paddling.
“Do you always need to be running your mouth?” Duane Johnson questioned JC.
“I’m not running my mouth,” JC protested. Johnson huffed.
When the other raft came close and started splashing, JC moved to the center of his vessel and cradled his plastic bag that held three cigarette cartons against his lap.
“We have a $5,000 camera on this boat,” JC yelled at the attackers. “If you break it, you’re gonna have to buy it, and I don’t think you can afford it.” But more than the camera, it was clear JC was most concerned about his cigarettes.
JC’s boat took on a
lot of water in the attack. The other raft had a neon squirt gun, which functioned as a not-so secret weapon. But the battle ended when the guide from a third raft jumped off his own boat and pulled the guide on the boat attacking JC’s raft into the water.
For the moment, JC and his cigarettes were safe. But the war was not over.
The naval war was just part of the fun that the gay rodeo association fundraiser attendees participated in last weekend at the Cowboy Up Montana Ranch outside of St. Regis.
In addition to raising money for the gay rodeo association, last weekend’s retreat also raised money for the Missoula and Spokane Humane societies, Jeff Taylor, the group’s treasurer, said. The weekend cost guests $150 per person and about 30 people made the trip from all over the Pacific Northwest. It was the fourth year the “Meet Me in Montana” fundraiser has taken place.
The men who came said it was nice to have a vacation where they could be comfortable with themselves and spend some time with others who share their lifestyle.
“This is a rare experience for most guys here because there’s not a lot of places for gay guys to come to Montana and be free to enjoy themselves,” said Darrell Goodwin. Goodwin grew up in White Horse but now lives in Maine. He was visiting his parents near Glacier Park when he heard about the getaway. Goodwin said that Montana’s geographic size and sparse population does not help build community of any kind, especially a gay community.
Doug G., who declined to give his last name, recently moved to Montana from Tampa, Fla. He said he is still adjusting to life in Big Sky country even though he used to work in Glacier National Park before heading to Florida. This weekend’s retreat helped him feel more at ease.
“You can’t flaunt it in Montana,” Doug said of his lifestyle. “But here, (at the fundraiser) nobody judges you. You are what you are.”
Some of the attendees will benefit more directly from the event because they are rodeo men themselves. Rick Fredrickson said he just competed in a gay rodeo in Calgary and earned $800 and three buckles for roping.
“I’ve been roping all my life,” h
e said.
Although the group was floating a relatively calm section of the Clark Fork on Saturday, when the splash battle started, staying in the raft was almost as difficult as staying on a bucking bull.
Plus, some rafts sent rogue sailors into the water to sneak attack other boats and pull unsuspecting victims into the river. The constant splashing lowered visibility on the bright day and added to the element of surprise.
JC continued to bark commands.
“If I [feel sick] from drinking river water, I’m blaming you,” he yelled to the attacking boats. But those in JC’s raft did not side with their own man.
“Do you guys want some wine, because we’ve got a whiner right here,” yelled Robert Edwards during battle. The Seattle resident was obviously referring to JC.
Suddenly, Johnson, who earlier had asked JC if he ever stopped talking, took off his ball cap and sunglasses and dove into the water, preparing to sneak attack someone.
JC continued his futile effort of smoking during the splashing war. Then, just as he bent over to try to re-light his cigarette, Johnson grabbed the back of JC’s lifejacket and pulled him overboard. JC went in cigarettes, drink and all.
JC cursed when he resurfaced after being pulled into the Clark Fork. But he also smiled.
“You see what you made me do. Now I lost my cigarettes,” JC yelled, holding up his soaking plastic bag that the cartons were in.
“You didn’t lose them, they’re just wet,” Edwards joked.
After a pause, they shared a chuckle. Then JC put his head back and floated freely down the river in Mineral County Montana.
ows them to escape people. But then they say they enjoy the small town because the people are so nice. 
We started to have a nice conversation, though. That is, until it turned to politics. 
