Queer history is Reno history—from internationally known events like the Reno Gay Rodeo to the establishment of local institutions like Our Center, the Silver Dollar Court, and any number of queer bars and clubs.
However, centuries of pervasive homophobia and legal discrimination have kept much of Northern Nevada’s queer history out of the public eye. But in September, which is when our area celebrates Northern Nevada Pride, we’re spotlighting a few historical milestones with the help of some locals—a scholar, an activist, a publisher and a volunteer.
This timeline draws on insights from Jeffery Auer, creator of the Nevada LGBT Archive; Paco Lachoy, founder of the Reno Gay Page newspaper; Meredith Tanzer, who works in Northern Nevada HOPES’ philanthropy department and is a co-director of Northern Nevada Pride; and Janet Mackie, a volunteer for Our Center whose work on chronicling the LGBTQ+ history of Nevada spurred the RN&R to create this timeline.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but in the service of sharing the true history of Northern Nevada, it’s a start.
Precolonial era
Actual historical records are sparse, but, like many tribes, the Paiute and Shoshone people recognized what is now known as a two-spirit identity in some individuals—people who embody both masculine and feminine qualities. Before colonization, two-spirit individuals held respected community roles, often serving as healers, spiritual leaders and warriors.
“The very beginning is the Native American tribes that lived here, and they would have had some degree of sexual and gender identity—what we would characterize today probably as similar to LGBTQ+. But you can’t always say it’s the exact same thing, because it was so long ago and in a different context.”
1930s
1931—Belle Livingstone’s Cowshed opened. Belle Livingstone, a former speakeasy owner, socialite and rumored “mob girlfriend” moved to Reno from New York to take advantage of the town’s freshly ratified legal gambling. The Cowshed, or “Belle’s Barn,” hosted drag performances.
“She had a friend of hers who was a drag queen, a female impersonator named Ray Bourbon. And Ray played there in 1935, and it was part of something that was big at that time called the Pansy Craze, which was female impersonators, usually men doing drag, but sometimes women dressing as men as well.” Jeff Auer
1960s
1969—The University of Nevada, Reno, hosted “Sex Week,” featuring speaker Rita LaPorte, an out lesbian. The event was covered extensively in local media.
While “Sex Week” itself was primarily focused on broader sexual education, the inclusion of discussions about lesbianism reflected the expanding visibility of queer issues on college campuses at the time.
“Rita LaPorte was interviewed in all the major papers and on the news stations, and she seems not to have been protested. That certainly would have brought awareness to the city of Reno of, at the very least, lesbianism in a way that had never been seen before.” Jeff Auer
1970s
1970—The first nationwide lesbian magazine in U.S. history was published for two years out of Reno.
Published by the lesbian organization the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), The Ladder began in either 1955 or 1956, depending on the source, and was originally the organization’s newsletter, covering lesbian issues and interests. In 1970, LaPorte, then the president of the DOB, along with Barbara Grier, took the mailing list and printing plates of The Ladder to Reno as a result of internal turmoil within the DOB. They published it as a bimonthly magazine until 1972, when they shut down due to funding issues.
Several of the city’s prominent gay bars were founded in the early part of this decade.
Before the emergence of public LGBTQ+ organizations in the 1990s, much of Reno’s queer culture centered around bars and clubs that served as welcoming spaces to meet, socialize and organize.
“Pops 1099 Club was probably one of the first in-town gay bars, which is now Chapel, and then I think in late ’71 or early ’72, Five Star started, which was called Paul’s Lounge at the time. And so that brought gay bars kind of into town.” Paco Lachoy
1974—The Silver Dollar Court, a prominent LGBTQ+ organization, is founded in Reno.
The Silver Dollar Court was founded as a chapter of the Imperial Court System—a network of “royal courts” across North America, each led by elected “emperors” and “empresses,” who perform in drag and hold events to raise money for various charitable causes.
The court became a central part of LGBTQ+ life in Northern Nevada, hosting events like drag performances, pageants and fundraisers that supported both LGBTQ+ and broader community initiatives.
1976—The Reno Gay Rodeo was founded.
Phil Ragsdale and Keith Ann Libby, the first emperor and empress of the Silver Dollar Court, founded the Reno Gay Rodeo as a space where LGBTQ+ identities could be celebrated in a context that merged the city’s rural roots and queer traditions. It was perhaps one of the most impactful events in the region’s LGBTQ+ history.
The rodeo’s success was transformative, drawing thousands of attendees annually despite facing violence, bigotry and resistance from conservative groups. This widespread popularity helped inspire similar events nationwide and eventually led to the founding of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) in 1985, which unified gay rodeos under a single umbrella.
“Reno’s claim to fame in the gay community is that the gay rodeo started in Reno, Nev., in 1976, and it ran until 1984. They tried in 2004 to bring back the rodeo. They were successful in doing a rodeo in 2004, 2005, and then the Finals Rodeo in 2006, which was a 30th anniversary.”
Paco Lachoy 
1980s
1985—The Gay Student Union was founded at the University of Nevada, Reno.
The formation of the Gay Student Union was a significant advocacy milestone on campus, despite being heavily protested at the time of its inception. It served as the foundation for later groups and became the Queer Student Union during the 2000s.
1987—The first Gay Pride event was held.
The first local Gay Pride festival was held in 1987 at Rock Park in Sparks. It was a relatively low-key event compared to modern pride celebrations and included a small parade with decorated shopping carts.
1990s
1994—The Reno Police Department met with LGBTQ+ leaders to improve community relations.
After several high-profile hate crimes were perpetrated against LGBTQ+ individuals in the area, the RPD and local members of the queer community met informally to improve the long-standing culture of mistrust between the two groups.
“We set up the meeting—you know, candles in the dark, ‘We’re not telling anybody this is happening.’ And then we met at what’s now Sierra View Library. They had about 20 police officers there. They had refreshments; they talked about issues; and, you know, ‘How can we fix things?’”
Paco Lachoy
1999—The first Gay Pride Parade was held.
The first official Gay Pride Parade in Reno took place in 1999, organized in large part by Kaye Crawford. Held in downtown Reno, the event attracted participants and spectators alike, setting the stage for larger and more inclusive celebrations in the years that followed.
2000s
2000—A Rainbow Place was founded.
A Rainbow Place was founded in large part by gay activist Ben Felix as the community’s first purpose-built community center for LGBTQ+ citizens. The center served as a physical meeting space for the community to gather beyond the city’s gay bars and clubs and offered youth outreach services, a vaccination clinic, HIV/AIDS testing and sexual education.
2009—The organization that would become Our Center was founded, beginning the process of establishing a dedicated LGBTQ+ community center in Reno after A Rainbow Place closed in 2007.
“(The year) 2009 is when Build Our Center was founded. So that’s the beginning of filing for nonprofit status.”
Meredith Tanzer
2010s
2011—Sexual orientation and gender identity were added as protected classes in Nevada’s anti-discrimination laws.
This law made it illegal for employers to discriminate against individuals based on their gender identity or expression, joining existing protections against discrimination based on race, religion, sex, disability and other factors. The legislation also required that employers allow employees to dress and groom themselves according to their gender identity.
“We’re one of only 14 states that have that special protection. We’re a fairly progressive state, and it’s important to know that should be the lens that we’re looking at community and society with.”
Meredith Tanzer
2014—Nevada’s ban on same-sex marriage was overturned by a court ruling.
In 2012, eight local same-sex couples filed a lawsuit arguing that the state’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The district court upheld the ban, ruling that Nevada had a legitimate interest in preserving traditional marriage. However, the decision was overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2014, paving the way for marriage equality in Nevada.
2015—The Reno Equality Rally took place in Downtown Reno.
Approximately 200 people marched and gathered near the Reno Arch in support of marriage quality after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage nationwide. Mayor Hillary Schieve addressed the crowd in support of the decision.
2016—Our Center opened its brick-and-mortar location on Wells Avenue, filling the need for a physical community center left by the closing of A Rainbow Place.
“We didn’t have any overtly welcoming community spaces that worked in honor and support of the LGBTQ+ community. So unless you were over the age of 21 and patronizing bars, there was really no other place to go other than a few businesses that just happened to be welcoming and supportive of the gay community.”
Meredith Tanzer
2016—A community vigil for the Pulse nightclub shooting was held at Our Center.
A shooter killed 49 people at Pulse, an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, Fla., in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016. That night in Reno, nearly 400 people gathered—under increased police protection—at Our Center, including community leaders, religious figures and local officials.
“Everyone was in shock, in mourning, but it really felt like the community came together at that point. It was a good showing of solidarity in the face of a horrific attack. Even though it wasn’t in our state, any LGBTQ+ people are going to feel attacked by something like this.”
Jeff Auer
2020s
2020—Same-sex marriage was codified into the Nevada state constitution.
In 2020, Nevada voters approved a new measure that removed the ban and explicitly enshrined the right to same-sex marriage in the state Constitution. The amendment, which passed with more than 60% of the vote, made Nevada the first state in the nation to affirmatively protect same-sex marriage rights in its constitution.
“We are the only state in the country where it’s in the Constitution that same-gender marriage is allowed, and we are protected. So no matter what the Supreme Court decides, they can’t change our law.”
Paco Lachoy
2022—Northern Nevada HOPES receives a $1 million donation from Dr. Barry Frank, which the organization says will be used to expand its Gender and Sexual Healthcare Clinic.
“There’s elevated help available to (people) to make sure that they are staying engaged in all areas of their health. So that includes (hormone replacement therapy) and behavioral health support, day-to-day living; It could mean housing support. I would venture to say that is the largest single gift given to the LGBTQ+ community.”
Meredith Tanzer