City Of Norman Passes LGBT History Month Proclamation

Even though their nerves were high, Nancy and Van Harrington said they would not have missed Tuesday night's Norman City Council meeting for any thing.

The proclamation for October 2016 to be Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender or LGBT History Month went up for a vote.

And they were going to represent their 19-year-old gay son, Zack.

“He got bullied his whole life,” Van Harrington, Zack’s dad said.

Six years ago, during a city council meeting discussing the same topic, many people spoke out against the measure, and a week later, Zack took his own life.

“He endured so much hate and bigotry and he heard so much at the meeting six years ago and we didn’t want to hear that again,” Harrington explained.

More than 200 people showed up in support of the proclamation this year, many wearing red.

No public comments were made, and the proclamation was a unanimous "yes" from city leaders.

“We spontaneously just jumped up and started cheering and clapping because it was a great relief,” Harrington said.

“It was a happy and sad feeling for me. The happy that we stuck it out and we’re going forward. Sad that this sort of thing didn’t happen earlier and that maybe we would have Zack. But who knows,” Harrington told News 9.

Reportedly, there were a few people who spoke out against the measure at the very end of the meeting during miscellaneous public comment.

Since his death, Zack’s parents have made it their mission to keep his legacy alive. They are involved in efforts to support many different groups in the LGBT community. In 2014, a documentary called Broken Heart Land was released, telling Zack’s story.

Click here for more information about the film.