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mahatmakanejeeves

(56,873 posts)
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 10:51 AM Jan 2019

Transgender barrel racer fears exclusion from rodeo in Rosenberg

Transgender barrel racer fears exclusion from rodeo in Rosenberg

By Deborah Wrigley
Updated 1 hr 45 mins ago

ROSENBERG, Texas (KTRK) -- Arqueze Girdy is a 5th generation rodeo competitor in her family, whose specialty is women's barrel racing. ... She is also transgender. ... "It's something I realized when I was a child," she said. "I've lived my life as a woman." ... She said there have been times that the amateur rodeo circuit has not been kind to her. ... "They never came out and said that it was because I'm transgender," Girdy said. "They would just say I wasn't qualified."

Girdy texted her entry form and paid her fee to compete in Saturday's MLK Scholarship and Rodeo event at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds. It is not a county-sponsored event, but one arranged by promoters who leased the facility for the event, which will be held for the first time.

Given her past experience, she is anxious about whether she'll be in the ring. ... "It's still up in the air," she said. "We'll know Saturday if I'm running or not, so I'm still dealing with it in my head,"

We attempted to speak with the promoters and were asked to call back. Late Thursday, they responded to ABC13's request for comment.

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