Zach Harrington
Nineteen year old Zach was an aspiring musician who graduated from Norman North High School in Oklahoma, where he was in the school band, the orchestra and became the first male captain of the color guard. It’s also where he was taunted and bullied for being gay.
His father says halfway into senior year, Zach asked to leave his school and get his diploma through a separate program. He would go on to the University of Central Oklahoma, where he completed a semester.
Zach's sister, Nikki Harrington, who is eight years older than her brother and also attended Norman North, said she recalls the way members of the LGBT community were treated during her time there.
His father says halfway into senior year, Zach asked to leave his school and get his diploma through a separate program. He would go on to the University of Central Oklahoma, where he completed a semester.
Zach's sister, Nikki Harrington, who is eight years older than her brother and also attended Norman North, said she recalls the way members of the LGBT community were treated during her time there.
“There was one gay guy in my high school at the time, and he was made fun of all the time. It was a pretty much a non-stop thing at school.” - Nikki Harrington, Zach's sister
Whether it was a specific incident that drove Zach to take his life, or an accumulation of everything he had endured over the years , we'll never know, but if there was an event that lead to his decision to kill himself, it could well have been the City Council meeting he attended where council members were asked to simply recognize October at LGBT History Month in the city.
Zach was an active supporter of gay rights and had gone to the meeting in the hope that City Council members were fair minded people who supported equality and LGBT issues.
In a 7-1 vote, the council approved the resolution — but not before three hours of incensed debate back and forth between members of the public during an open comment period. It was this “toxic” exchange among neighbours, railing against the recognition of queers’ contributions to society, that led Zach to take his own life a week later, his family says.
Support for and opposition to the proclamation were fairly even and the public comment portion of the agenda item lasted for three hours — the entire time allotted. The entire process was an exercise in representative government, with both sides — and those in between — given their chance to speak their minds.
One man said he moved to Norman because he thought it was the kind of place that would never accept the LGBT community with open arms. A woman, who described herself as “bi-racial,” said she was tired of the LGBT plight being compared to Civil Rights. Some of those who opposed the proclamation claimed that members of the LGBT community would use it to infiltrate the public school system, essentially allowing the “gay lifestyle” to become a part of the curriculum. Others claimed that council recognizing October as LGBT History Month was a waste of their time. Some members of the audience even suggested that any council members voting in favor of the proclamation may have trouble getting reelected. Numerous residents also claimed the Bible was their guiding light, citing the ancient text as their primary reason for opposing the proclamation and the LGBT community in general.
And for those in attendance, it was hard to ignore the intolerant grumblings, the exasperated sighs and cold, hard stares that followed comments from supporters of the LGBT proclamation. Even most council members admitted that a majority of the e-mails and phone calls they fielded regarding the proclamation were against it.
It would appear that this ill fated town meeting was the final straw for Zach - He saw that bullying and homophobia were not restricted to school hallways. The outcome of the evening was good for LGBT equality. For Zach, his family believes it was this meeting that contributed heavily to his decision to take his own life. He was just so tired of the uphill struggle and constant battle with those who did all they could to oppose everything that he was.
Zach was an active supporter of gay rights and had gone to the meeting in the hope that City Council members were fair minded people who supported equality and LGBT issues.
In a 7-1 vote, the council approved the resolution — but not before three hours of incensed debate back and forth between members of the public during an open comment period. It was this “toxic” exchange among neighbours, railing against the recognition of queers’ contributions to society, that led Zach to take his own life a week later, his family says.
Support for and opposition to the proclamation were fairly even and the public comment portion of the agenda item lasted for three hours — the entire time allotted. The entire process was an exercise in representative government, with both sides — and those in between — given their chance to speak their minds.
One man said he moved to Norman because he thought it was the kind of place that would never accept the LGBT community with open arms. A woman, who described herself as “bi-racial,” said she was tired of the LGBT plight being compared to Civil Rights. Some of those who opposed the proclamation claimed that members of the LGBT community would use it to infiltrate the public school system, essentially allowing the “gay lifestyle” to become a part of the curriculum. Others claimed that council recognizing October as LGBT History Month was a waste of their time. Some members of the audience even suggested that any council members voting in favor of the proclamation may have trouble getting reelected. Numerous residents also claimed the Bible was their guiding light, citing the ancient text as their primary reason for opposing the proclamation and the LGBT community in general.
And for those in attendance, it was hard to ignore the intolerant grumblings, the exasperated sighs and cold, hard stares that followed comments from supporters of the LGBT proclamation. Even most council members admitted that a majority of the e-mails and phone calls they fielded regarding the proclamation were against it.
It would appear that this ill fated town meeting was the final straw for Zach - He saw that bullying and homophobia were not restricted to school hallways. The outcome of the evening was good for LGBT equality. For Zach, his family believes it was this meeting that contributed heavily to his decision to take his own life. He was just so tired of the uphill struggle and constant battle with those who did all they could to oppose everything that he was.