Norman City Council Chamber: Gay, Lesbian Motion (Teen committed suicide after this meeting)

Run time: 02:26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XOOLDhXZrM   Posted on YouTube: September 29, 2010 By YouTube Member: NEWS9OklahomaCity Views on YouTube: 202   Posted on DU: October 18, 2010 By DU Member: FreeState Views on DU: 423

 
Want to see the face of hatred? This is the news cast about the City Council meeting that Zack Harrington attended and committed suicide shortly after do to the despair he felt after listening to the community comments at the meeting. I cant for the life of me believe this.

(Zack's story here: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/gay-teen-in-oklahoma-takes-his-own-life.html)

just irritates the hell out of me. So many gay kids in small towns since the history of forever figured out who they were with no gay role models, for good or bad, anywhere in sight. It's as dumb as Ken Buck's "choice" statement earlier--what choice? What's the signing bonus to living with a little caution your whole life that someday, someone will act out on you because of who you are or who you love? It's a real problem of straight privilege that some people never tried to see what it's like to have these feeling naturally, or consider the extent to which loving really should be the default, judgement the error.

And "Healthy, straight, reproductive...."

Grrrr. Ablist, hetero-privileged, (is there a word to disparage those who assume everyone's life would benefit from kids? I've had reproductive health issues since forever and I and my spouse have decided we aren't at our age physically, financially, or tempermentally suited to being parents. Maybe if our finances got better I might want to adopt.... but that's just remote. What's heroic about babymaking? That's what I'm curious about. And why am I less a female if I'm not doing it? Or my husband, who materially contributes to the lives of his aging--I mean 70's--his mom and late 90's, his dad--parents. I think he's a wonderful man and a hero for the way he cares for them, who are limited in English and depend on his intercession with doctors and insurance and all. We damn near can't choose to be parents. We aren't immature and we aren't failing to contribute to society. Are we weird? Less than healthy since I might need doctors to make my middle-aged body try for a sprog? Because we valued contributing to a lot of other things over saving for a family--like caring for the family we already had? And political causes that probably benefitted a lot of other people's families?

Damn, I can see why someone might be distraught over that level of bigotry. That ignorance needed a lot of undoing. More than one sensitive gay young person could have even fathomed happening.

Damn that steams me. He needed to know there were places that aren't as bigoted, and where acceptance and even love were totally possible. I hope we can make that message clearer. It gets better, people get better, maybe even the world could get better. And the people who advocate for hate will go away. Someday. When they've been told to shut the fuck up and mind their own business long enough and loud enough, by enough people who were minding their own business just fine.

I know hope.

I lived with my partner and everyone, and I mean everyone, in town knew we were a couple. We were very socially and politically active in the community and the university. When we moved away the President of the university gave us a going away party that included faculty and community friends, about 70/30% straight to gay. There were about 120 people in attendance. As one of the people (a lesbian on the faculty) said in her toast to us - If you can find good friends, support and love in Oklahoma you can find it anywhere.

Many of our gay and lesbian friends giggled that it was the queerest event they had ever been to. I still have printed napkins from the reception with the year and my name and my partner's name.

The town has obviously gone backward. Also, I would be willing to be that several of those speakers are not from Norman.

P.S. Anita Hill lived down the street, Mary Hart was our friend, and Barry Switzer lived around the corner.