Jacob Reitan

Reitan was born in 1982 in Mankato, Minnesota, into a Lutheran family and is one of four siblings. He has described being the target of anti-gay harassment as early as seventh grade, and first found his anxieties about his sexual orientation eased in the tenth grade when his English teacher Gwen Walz announced her classroom was "a safe space for gay and lesbian students@. He came out to his sister, then Gwen Walz, and then his parents while a junior at Mankato West High School.{{cite news | newspaper =Daily Helmsman | url = https://www.dailyhelmsman.com/article/2006/06/activist-rethinking-christianitys-view-of-homosexuality | first =David |last=Hanners | title=Activist rethinking Christianity's view of homosexuality | date=June 13, 2006|access-date = March 10, 2012 | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240809021506/https://www.dailyhelmsman.com/article/2006/06/activist-rethinking-christianitys-view-of-homosexuality | archive-date= August 9, 2024}} He came out to his classmates during the summer of 1999, as senior year approached. After experiencing harassment during his senior year, he told the school principal he planned to come out and found a gay-straight alliance before graduation. To serve as faculty advisor to that organization, the principal chose geography teacher and football coach Tim Walz, a future Minnesota governor and the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz{{cite news | access-date = August 21, 2024 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/us/tim-walz-gay-students.html | date = August 20, 2024 | title = 25 Years Ago, a Gay Student Sought Support. His School Turned to Tim Walz. | newspaper = New York Times | first = Ernesto | last = Londoño}}{{cite news | newspaper =Tampa Bay Times | url = http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/25/Perspective/They_ask__and_tell.shtml |first =Waveney Ann | last=Moore|title= They ask, and tell | date=June 25, 2006 | access-date = March 10, 2012| url-status =dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060822054842/http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/25/Perspective/They_ask__and_tell.shtml | archive-date = August 22, 2006 }} He graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, majoring in Communication Studies and Political Science. He received his masters from Harvard Divinity School and his J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.{{cite news | publisher =Huffington Post|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-reitan |title=Jacob Reitan | access-date = March 10, 2012| url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080412062329/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-reitan | archive-date= April 12, 2008}}

After some experimentation in 2005, he and Haven Herrin launched Soulforce's Equality Ride Project in 2006. He was arrested for trespassing at Liberty University in March where he said: "We want to come to the school today to say, 'learn from history.' We have a right to be here, because this school teaches that being gay is being sick and sinful. We have a right to question and to show how we are children of God."{{cite news| publisher =Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/gay-rights-activists-arrested-at-liberty-university |title=Gay Rights Activists Arrested at Liberty University | date=March 10, 2006|access-date = March 10, 2012}} A few weeks later at West Point, just before being arrested, he said that "We're going to take this country by storm and in five years' time, it's going to be a different country because of us." When he, Herrin and a third friend attempted to enlist in the Minnesota National Guard to protest the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, he was not immediately rejected, but told his arrest at West Point would need to be resolved first.{{cite web| date= May 30, 2006|title =Gay trio tries to enlist in Minnesota Guard| publisher =KARE 11| url =http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=126041| accessdate =August 8, 2007| archive-url =https://archive.today/20120905225151/http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=126041| archive-date =September 5, 2012| url-status =dead}} Advocate Magazine named him as one of its People of the Year for 2006{{cite magazine | magazine =The Advocate | url = http://www2.advocate.com/topics.asp?nav=199&topic=New+York | first= Gretchen | last= Dukowitz | title =Young Crusaders | date= December 18, 2006 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116073939/http://www2.advocate.com/topics.asp?nav=199&topic=New+York |archive-date=January 16, 2013 | access-date = March 10, 2012}} and Out Magazine named him one of the Out 100 people of 2006.{{cite magazine| magazine= OUT Magazine | url = http://www.out.com/entertainment/2006/11/05/four-four-jacob-reitan-bayard-rustin | title= Four on Four: Jacob Reitan on Bayard Rustin | date=November 5, 2011 | access-date = March 10, 2012}}

Reitan is featured in the documentary film about the 2006 Equality Ride, Equality U.{{cite news| work=MetroWeekly | url = http://www.metroweekly.com/feature/reel_affirmations_2009/?id=1953 | title=Equality U | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091023222518/http://www.metroweekly.com/feature/reel_affirmations_2009/?id=1953 |archive-date=October 23, 2009 |access-date = March 10, 2012}}

He wrote a regular column called "Faith in Action" that appeared in Lavender, a Minnesota LGBT news magazine. He and his family appeared in the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So.{{cite news|url=http://www.nysun.com/arts/heartfelt-look-at-one-side-of-a-debate/64067/|title=A Heartfelt Look at One Side of a Debate|last=Keane|first=Meghan|date=October 5, 2007|work=New York Sun|accessdate=November 3, 2011| url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080606011017/http://www.nysun.com/arts/heartfelt-look-at-one-side-of-a-debate/64067/ | archive-date= June 6, 2008}}{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-CLIPS-Also-opening-today-2535668.php|title=Film Clips/Also Opening Today|date=October 12, 2007|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=November 3, 2011}}

On December 22, 2010, at the invitation of the White House, Reitan joined other LGBT rights activists to witness the signing of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.{{cite web| title =Minnesota activist Jacob Reitan on hand for historic morning ceremony ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'| publisher =Minnesota Post | date =December 22, 2010| url= http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/12/22/24459/minnesota_activist_jacob_reitan_on_hand_for_historic_morning_ceremony_ending_dont_ask_dont_tell| accessdate =February 2, 2011| archive-date =January 11, 2011| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110111204753/http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/12/22/24459/minnesota_activist_jacob_reitan_on_hand_for_historic_morning_ceremony_ending_dont_ask_dont_tell| url-status =dead}}

When questioned in 2024 about his dealings with Tim Walz while in high school, Reitan praised him work both in supporting LGBT students and confronting bullies.{{cite news | work = TMZ | url = https://www.tmz.com/2024/08/07/tim-walz-protected-former-student-homophobic-bullying/ | access-date = August 9, 2024 | title = Gay Student Says Walz Protected him from Bullies| date = August 7, 2024}} In support of Walz, Reitan appeared briefly along with several other of Walz's students in a video shown at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/news/tim-walz-students-introduce-america-011854271.html |title=Tim Walz's students introduce America to their teacher and coach at the DNC: 'Best people for the job' |first1=Alex |last1=Woodward |first2=Julia |last2=Saqui |date= August 22, 2024 |access-date=September 17, 2024}}

Currently, Reitan works as an attorney at Reitan Law Office with offices in Mankato, Chaska and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He represents clients in the areas of a personal injury, Social Security disability and worker's compensation.{{cite web | url = http://www.reitanlawoffice.com | title= Reitan Law Office }}

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;Additional sources

• {{cite news | url = https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/human-rights-activist-jacob-reitan-has-led-nationwide-battles/article_76f90532-4183-11e7-95cb-7394718a5e15.html | newspaper = Mankato Free Press | date =May 29, 2017 | title = Human rights activist Jacob Reitan has led nationwide battles | first = Amanda | last = Dyslin | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240808185046/https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/human-rights-activist-jacob-reitan-has-led-nationwide-battles/article_76f90532-4183-11e7-95cb-7394718a5e15.html | archive-date= August 8, 2024}}
• {{cite news | work = BBC | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5rr0rgg3lo | date = August 8, 2024 | title = He's the new VP pick. To his students, he's Mr Walz | first = Sam | last = Cabral }}
• {{Cite tweet |author=Bill Madden|user=maddenifico|number=1822312737956913664|title=This is who Tim Walz and Gwen Walz are.}}

• [http://www.soulforce.org/ Soulforce]
• {{IMDb name|id=2949868|name=Jake Reitan}}

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Category:1982 births

Category:People from Mankato, Minnesota

Category:American LGBTQ rights activists

Category:LGBTQ people from Minnesota

Category:Northwestern University alumni

Category:University of Minnesota Law School alumni

Category:Harvard Divinity School alumni

Category:Minnesota lawyers

Category:Living people

Category:American LGBTQ lawyers