A unique document of America's gay rodeo subculture, National Anthem is a celebration of outsiders and the beauty of chosen families everywhere.
Growing up in Colorado with his father in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, Luke Gilford spent his formative years around the rodeo, an American institution that has often been associated with conservatism and homophobia. It was only later, when he discovered the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), that he began to see himself as part of a rodeo family. The IGRA is the organizing body for LGBTQ+ cowboy and cowgirl communities in North America, a safe space for all genders and races. The queer rodeo brings in participants from rural regions all over America for structured educational programs and competitions, facilitating opportunities to hone athletic skills, connection and care for animals, personal integrity, self-confidence and support for one another.
Gilford has spent over four years traveling the country to document this diverse and ever-evolving subculture. Shot on mediumformat film and printed in a traditional darkroom, the work is detailed and rich with emotion and color. The resulting photographs are both personal and poetic—clear testaments to Gilford's intimate relationship to the community. National Anthem is a celebration of outsiders and the immense beauty of chosen families everywhere.
This revised edition, with never before published images, is released in conjunction with the feature film adaptation of National Anthem in in 2024.
New revised edition of the book published in 2020 (ISBN 978-88-6208-736-0).
Luke Gilford is a writer, director and photographer born in 1986 in Denver, Colorado where his father was a champion bull rider and later a judge in the Professional Bull Riding Association. He studied Art at UCLA and his photography and films have been exhibited around the world, including MoMA in New York and FOAM in Amsterdam, as well as at Sundance's NEXT festival. Luke Gilford has spent over three years documenting The International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), the sole organizing body for LGBTQ+ cowboy and cowgirl communities in North America. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Vogue.
