Motorsports racing driver Zach Herrin competed for a place at the ARCA Menards Series-opening ARCA Daytona 200, and he was sponsored by LGBTQ+ rights organization Lambda Legal.
As a young gay man, Herrin feared that he would lose the sport he loves. However, he was proven wrong by his 27-year-old self, who is now out and proud, and competed in stock car racing’s biggest stage.
“I always had this thing in the back of my mind, even with I was struggling with my personal identity, ‘Will I ever race again?’ To find myself back here putting the pieces together to make an effort to make this career again and giving this 150% effort to make this a career again? It’s wild,” Herrin shared in an interview with Trans Sporter Room podcast.
Last year, he approached Lambda Legal as a potential sponsor, and the organization is now “the lead sponsor of his Fast Track Racing Toyota Camry as part of a multirace arrangement for the 2023 season,” as per Out Sports.
The driver also saw their partnership as an opportunity to voice out his message after coming out and getting back to racing.
“I’ve always paid attention to the work that they’ve done. I have an opportunity here to put some spotlight on what is happening in America today and specifically in this state I’m about to visit for the largest race of the season,” Herrin expressed.
Meanwhile, Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings stated:
“This is a great opportunity to educate people about this hateful law (Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill) and how much damage it’s doing to young people. And, to give young people a symbol of hope in the form of Zach Herrin.”
“Zach is the gutsy one here. This is Zach making a statement that he stands for justice and stands for inclusion,” Jennings noted.
Source: outsports.com
As a younger closeted gay I wanted to do what he’s doing but I let my fear of being made fun of or not accepted into a sport for being gay stop me from pursuing my dream. I hope he inspires some young gay boys to pursue their dreams.