W E E K E N D E D I T I O N | A U G U S T 2 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 18 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M
OUDAILY
For 100 years, the student voice of the University of Oklahoma
FAST FACTS ON KYLER MURRAY • 7
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Art of an LGBTQ Pride flag in front of the Seed Sower statue on the Lindsey Street bridge Aug. 22. Norman's first Pride Festival begins Friday, Aug. 24 and ends Sunday, Aug. 26.
STANDING PROUD
Norman native reflects on progress in LGBTQ inclusion ahead of the city's first-ever Pride festival JANA ALLEN • @JANA _ ALLEN21
D
avid Holladay often found himself coming home late at night, smelling like cigarette smoke and feeling exhilarated after a night spent at a club. The next morning, he’d have to get up, get ready for school and pretend to be just like the rest of his high school peers in the early ‘80s. But Holladay had a secret he couldn’t tell anyone: He was a gay teenager in Norman. At the time, there was no club at school for LGBTQ kids, there weren’t any books on the subject and Holladay couldn’t even use the internet as a source to understand the feelings he had. “Being queer in the early ‘80s was all dark corners and quiet winks and nods. You were afraid
to even express yourself openly,” Holladay said. “I get the sense that that’s not the case today in Norman, even though there probably are many ways to make it better.” Almost 40 years later, Norman has made strides to be more welcoming to the LGBTQ community in its schools and its availability of community-wide resources and support groups. The city will host its first Pride festival, a three-day celebration of the LGBTQ members of Norman and Oklahoma from Aug. 24 to 26.But it took a lot to get to this point. ‘Our son was not a sin’ The Holladays were a church-going family in what David Holladay calls “a typical
Midwest college town.” “It was hard to find anybody that wasn’t steeped in religiosity and church doctrine that said being gay or lesbian was wrong and quote-unquote ‘an abomination,’” Holladay said. “The idea that you were wrong, that your mind was wrong, that the feelings you had were wrong, and that you probably didn’t have much of a hope for being like all the other people around you was pervasive.” David Holladay, born in 1964, had a few close friends at Norman High School who knew he was gay and had a boyfriend at one point, but he always had an internal struggle with the need to fit in. “You just were in a daze about what your existence was going
to be later,” Holladay said. “How in the world am I going to flip the switch? There was certainly nobody at the high school who was like, ‘Hey everybody, I’m gay too. Let’s get together and kind of just talk and support another.’” When Holladay came out to his parents in 1981 while in high school, it was a painful and tearful conversation. His mother Kay Holladay was not angry or appalled — she loved her son no matter what, but she and her husband started to feel isolated with a lack of resources or people to confide in. The couple tried to read books and learn what they could but had little success. It became difficult as the family began the process of reconciling their
Christian faith with their son’s identity, Kay Holladay said. When members of their previous local church told them their son was wrong, they made the decision to leave. “Our son was not a sin,” Kay Holladay said. “We chose to love our son over loving our denomination.” Holladay said he saw a transition in his parents after his coming out. They expanded their understanding of the LGBTQ community and made sure their son knew they supported him. In 1994, a little more than a decade after Holladay left Norman for college in California, his mother co-founded Norman’s chapter of Parents and Friends See PRIDE page 2
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR NORMAN PRIDE FESTIVAL: FRIDAY
SATURDAY
KICK OFF PARTY 5-8 p.m. TOLY Park
PRIDE FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Grey St. Parking Lot
SUNDAY PARADE FESTIVITIES 4 -10p.m. TOLY Park
Kyler Murray named starting quarterback After long battle, coach Lincoln Riley chooses leader for the Sooners GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia
When Kyler Murray received a text from Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley early Wednesday morning asking him to meet in Riley’s office, Murray knew exactly what it was about.
The redshirt junior quarterback sat in Riley’s office, his typical Wednesday full of classes and practice just beginning. Riley’s conversation with Murray was short, sweet and to the point : You’re going to be the starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. “ I t ’s a h u g e h o n o r f o r me,” Murray told the media Wednesday afternoon. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of. I’ve been working hard ever since I
got here. Ever since I started playing, this is what I’ve been working toward.” R i l e y ’s d e c i s i o n t o n a m e Murray the starting quarterback for the Sooners’ opening game against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 1 comes after what was a nearly four-month battle with redshirt sophomore Austin Kendall. In June, Murray agreed to a contract with the Oakland A’s that came with a $4.6 million signing bonus, all but guaranteeing this
will be his final season playing football. Despite this, most people anticipated him being the starter all along, since he’s known as one of the greatest high school players ever in the state of Texas. But Riley took his time with the decision, and in the end, made what he thinks is the best choice for his team. “It was pretty simple, honestly,” Riley said. “I don’t think there’s some elaborate break down. We looked at the whole body of work
and thought (Murray) was slightly ahead of Austin.” And Riley’s selection earned approval from the king himself, Barry Switzer. “Coaches play the best players and make tough decisions when it comes down to talented players — especially at that position — and that’s what he did,” said Switzer, who coached a host of great quarterbacks such as J.C. See KYLER page 7