Nigeria RPCV Gene Harrington was Gay Rights Activist
Read and comment on this obituary from PlanetOut on longtime Texas gay activist Gene Harrington. Harrington, a professor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University was involved in gay rights in Texas for nearly 30 years. He was active in the Houston AIDS Equity League, which he co-founded, the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus and the Texas Human Rights Foundation. Each of these organizations honored Harrington for his volunteer work. In 1963, Harrington was among the first Peace Corps volunteers, serving as professor of law at the University of Nigeria at Ibadan. He used that experience to write a treatise on African tribal law. Read the story at:
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Longtime Texas gay activist, 62, dies
365Gay.com
Thursday, January 2, 2003 / 04:33 PM
Texas' gay community is mourning the death this week of Gene Harrington after a long struggle with AIDS. He was 62.
Harrington, a professor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University was involved in gay rights in Texas for nearly 30 years.
He was active in the Houston AIDS Equity League, which he co-founded, the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus and the Texas Human Rights Foundation. Each of these organizations honored Harrington for his volunteer work.
In 1963, Harrington was among the first Peace Corps volunteers, serving as professor of law at the University of Nigeria at Ibadan. He used that experience to write a treatise on African tribal law.
Three years later, Harrington joined the TSU law school faculty.
In 1990, two years after the founding of the Greater Houston AIDS Alliance, Harrington accused the organization of being ineffective and a stumbling block to progress in battling the disease.
In 1993, an informal ticket of gay candidates, including Harrington, sought election to Houston municipal offices. None was elected.
"He always (was) a leader in fighting for social justice. He stood for the good, strong positions on civil liberties," said Gertrude Barnstone, a longtime friend. Barnstone and Harrington became friends when serving as board members of the Houston chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, she said.
A world traveler, Harrington recently visited Antarctica, achieving his ambition to visit every continent.
He was a collector of modern and African art, and souvenirs of the American expatriate writer Gertrude Stein. Read more about Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Nigeria
Read more about tPeace Corps Volunteers who served in Nigeria at:
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Nigeria; Special Interests - Gay Rights; Obituaries; Advocacy
