This is the third installment in our series, “19-Year Old Gay Teen’s Suicide,” (read part one and part two,) which looks at the comments of some of the citizens of Norman, Oklahoma, who chose to speak against a proclamation to name October “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Month” in Norman. Shortly after this three-hour debate, nineteen year old Norman citizen Zach Harrington succumbed to suicide. His parent specifically say the hatefest that was this city council town hall meeting was “the last straw” for Zach.
Yesterday, we saw a man who said if the city council voted against the proclamation, nothing would happen, no one would be physically injured. His ignorance about why the proclamation was necessary, and about the fact that his very words, and those of his anti-gay, homophobic neighbors were the cause of so much hurt, was lost on him.
They just don’t understand the effect their words, and what is behind them, their hate, homophobia, and ignorance — often, willful ignorance — has on people.
Today we hear a citizen of Norman who thinks that there is no difference between gays and adulterers, fornicators, bigamists, thieves, and so on.
He says, “treating people equally is the same as treating all moral behavior equally.” Because, to him, “gay” equals “sexually immoral behavior.” Make sure you get to the end. Because “the end” is coming!
I keep thinking of Zach Harrington, quietly sitting in that room, soaking up all that toxic hate.
I hope the next time anyone thinks of spewing this type of hate, and just plain false-thinking, they’ll remember Zach Harrington.
I invite anyone from Norman to contact me to share their thoughts on the proclamation, and on the life and death of Zach Harrington.
Thanks to NGBlog‘s YouTube channel for providing these very important videos.