Tim Walz Helped Gay Former Student Confront Bullies
Jacob Reitan, the first out student at the high school where Walz taught, says the teacher valued kindness, inclusivity, and respect.
A gay man who attended the high school where Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, worked as teachers is praising the Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate’s longstanding support for LGBTQ individuals.
Jacob Reitan, who, in 1999, became the first out gay student at Mankato West High School, recently spoke with former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki for a segment during the August 7 edition of her MSNBC show, Inside with Jen Psaki.
Reitan, who was one of Gwen Walz’s English literature students in 1997, recalled how, on the first day of class, she informed students that her classroom would be a “safe space” for LGBTQ students. Tim Walz, meanwhile, would go on to serve as the faculty sponsor of the school’s first gay-straight alliance club, which Reitan helped start.
“Both Tim and Gwen were incredibly supportive of their gay students,” Reitan told Psaki.
“They modeled values of inclusivity and respect. And that helped not just me — I was bullied in high school — but it also, I think, helped the bully. It showed the bully a better path forward.
“And I can think of no one better than Tim Walz, to to show that better path forward for America.”
Reitan continued, “We have had with President Trump, a bully president. It’s a one-act show with this president. And, all he knows how to do is the politics of the bully. And, Tim Walz will show us a better way forward.”
Reitan had previously told The Washington Post how Walz had, at his request, agreed to sponsor the gay-straight alliance even while serving as a football coach at Mankato West — a story that the Harris-Walz campaign has trumpeted on the campaign trail in an effort to appeal to Democratic and left-leaning voters while highlighting Walz’s likability.
“He set an example not just for LGTBQ students, but for football players in the locker room, at a time where gay people were not well understood. He made the school a safe place for everybody,” Reitan told the newspaper.
Psaki asked Reitan about a comment he made to the Post, in which he claimed Walz has an ability to “sell seemingly progressive ideas to seemingly not-progressive crowds.”
Noting that Walz supported marriage equality when he first ran for Congress in 2006 — even though many politicians saw this position as detrimental to their campaigns — Reitan told a story of how Walz sold the idea of gay marriage, from the point of view that the government should stay out of people’s private lives, to a Harley-Davidson biker rally.
“They ask him about helmet laws, and they say, ‘Are you for or against helmet laws?’ And he says, ‘Well, I think it’s stupid not to wear a helmet, but I believe in personal freedom. I’m not for helmet laws. [It’s] probably stupid for me to be eating as many cheeseburgers as I eat, but I’m not for the government telling me how many cheeseburgers to eat. But if the government shouldn’t tell you not to wear a helmet, and if they shouldn’t tell me how many cheeseburgers I should eat, it also shouldn’t be able to tell your neighbor that they can’t get married.’
“That’s just his skill,” Reitan continued. “He has the ability to talk about progressive issues and make them in a way that all of us can understand. And he’s a remarkable individual.”
Reitan isn’t the only former student to sing Walz’s praises.
Josh Jagdfeld, a former student of both Tim and Gwen Walz, and who was a member of the football team that Walz helped coach from a 0-27 record to winning a state championship three years later, credited Walz with having “helped to create an inspirational environment for us young men to feel confident and work hard.”
“He’s warm, engaging, cares about everybody he talks to,” Jagdfeld said.
Another student, Noah Hobbs, remembered Walz as an “authentic” and “high-energy” person, noting that “the level of care that he gave to all students — not just the kids getting 4.0 [GPAs] — was really impactful for me as a young kid.”
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