Ashley and Jacquey Creath: From a Pioneering Marriage to Out at the Rodeo

It was 2006, and Ashley Creath was at the lesbian bar Chances in Montrose. Unknown to her, her future wife, Jacquey, was also there, moving through the same crowd until fate led them to each other. 

“I saw her dancing,” Ashley says. “I thought she was dancing with her wife or partner. Turns out it was just her best friend.”

So Ashley did what anyone in her position would do—she tapped Jacquey on the shoulder and made her move: “Hey, you come here often?” she had asked, a corny pickup line that somehow worked.

Despite their 13-year age gap, Ashley has always been the old soul in their relationship. “I’m older than she is,” she says, “but really, Jacquey is older than I am inside.”

The two ultimately built a life together, and that life has taken them through San Antonio, back to Houston, and into a pivotal moment in history that neither of them had expected.

It was June 26, 2015. Ashley was at work when she heard the news: same-sex marriage had been legalized nationwide. She called her wife immediately. “We need to go downtown,” she said.

The two put on the same white shirts they had worn in their New York wedding three years earlier and rushed downtown to become one of the first same-sex couples to be married in Harris County.

“For us,” Jacquey says, “when we left New York, the moment we stepped on the plane, we weren’t married anymore. We were married for five days, and that was it. But in that Houston courthouse, in that moment, we mattered.”

Their journey had taken them through activism, through Pride marches since they were teenagers, through struggles and triumphs. And now, it has taken them into the heart of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

“We’ve been volunteering since 2013,” Ashley says, “starting on the Merchandise Committee before moving to the Wine Events Committee. We love it. It’s our way of giving back.”

Jaquey and Ashley have both volunteered as members of the Wine Events Committee. The two are responsible for selling and executing all Rodeo Uncorked! events, including the Roundup and Best Bites Competition, the Champion Wine Auction and Dinner, and the Club of Champions Buyers Dinner. The committee is also responsible for the packaging and distribution of Double Barrel Sampler Cases, and it supports all wine events through marketing and communication.

Joining Out at the Rodeo, an initiative dedicated to creating a space for the LGBTQ community within the rodeo, felt right for the two, and Jacquey believes that representation matters now more than ever.

“The rodeo had a certain flavor, I guess,” she says. “And I don’t know if being gay was looked upon as not being accepted, but there weren’t a lot of LGBT faces. But the response to Out at the Rodeo has been incredible. Last year, a thousand people showed up. There are people that want this, and we just must facilitate it for them. We’re very serious about activism in our committee. Having a safe space at rodeo is important.”

Their dream? To one day see an official LGBTQ rodeo committee, where funds could be raised for scholarships benefiting LGBTQ youth. Currently, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo holds livestock auctions where the proceeds benefit kids who raise animals.

“Watching Out at the Rodeo grow, I can’t wait to see what happens in five years and what we can do,” Jacquey says.

Additionally, the duo would like to have a Pride Night at the rodeo, similar to what the Houston Astros and Rockets do.

“We’ve gone every summer when they do Pride Night,” says Ashley. “It’s packed. Our community is there with their flame burning high, and it’s so fun to go see that. Everyone—all parts of our community—is there.”

For those in the LGBTQ community who are scared in these tumultuous times, Ashley believes that leaning on your friends and family is incredibly important.

“Reach out to your friends if you can’t reach out to spaces like the Montrose Center,” she advises. “There are plenty of places that you can go for support. I know right now is very hard. It’s hard some days to get out of bed for some people. I understand that. But you’ve got to reach out to your community. Lean on your community, your family, your friends. That’s what I’m hoping for with this event, that people come out and just really appreciate how nice it is to have a place like Out at the Rodeo to come be who we are for a few hours.”

What: Out at the Rodeo 2025
When: March 22, 2025, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: The Champion Wine Garden at NRG Stadium
Info: linktr.ee/outrodeo