Date: Mon, 08 Sep 1997 19:08:01 -1000
From: lambda@aloha.net (Martin Rice)
Subject: UT 186:  EAST HIGH SUICIDE

Aloha ahi ahi kakou.

It is with great despair that the following is passed along to you all . . . .




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From: Jdupre1@aol.com
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 1997 18:38:29 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Jacob Orozco 1980-1997


Stuart Harrison from the Tzabaco Safe Schools Initiative asked me to forward
this to you.

Jeff Dupre
Jacob Orozco, 1980-1997
 
 September 5, 1997
 
 In early 1996, the nation learned of a battle being waged by a group of
young
 people in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Students at East High School wanted to
start
 a Gay-Straight Alliance to provide a safe haven for teenagers dealing with
 issues of sexuality and homophobia.
 
 The New York Times and the national news media followed the story as the
Utah
 State Legislature attempted to block Alliance members' efforts by passing a
 law banning all extra-curricular clubs so as to prevent them from convening.
  The East High Gay Straight Alliance persevered, and became a symbol of this
 generation's determination to make schools places where everyone is
 respected, regardless of sexual orientation.
 
 This year a young man named Jacob Orozco was to be president of the
 Gay-Straight Alliance.  Yesterday, Jacob took his own life.
 
 We had the opportunity to meet Jacob last March in Salt Lake City while
 producing a film, Out of the Past, which documents the Gay Straight
 Alliance's struggle and places it in the broader context of the history of
 gay men and lesbians in the United States.
 
 Jacob stood out as a dynamic, funny and seemingly confident young man.  Our
 camera was drawn to his energy and charm again and again. He was an
 accomplished athlete, a talented gymnast and an inspiration to the fellow
 members of the Alliance.  His apparent self-assurance made us both reflect
on
 how far the struggle for gay and lesbian liberation has come since our own
 high-school experiences a mere decade ago.
 
 His death reminds us how much remains to be done.  Despite the support of
the
 Gay-Straight Alliance at East High, Jacob had to cope with hearing daily
 reminders of society's loathing and rejection of gays and lesbians.  A
recent
 study indicates that high school students hear anti-gay epithets like
 "faggot" and "dyke" an average of nearly thirty times a day (Massachusetts
 Department of Education, 1994).  According to the Centers for Disease
 Control, one in six gay and lesbian teenagers is beaten up so badly during
 high school that they require medical attention. 
 
 When you're seventeen and this is the only reality you've ever known, it can
 be hard to imagine that things will ever get better.  It's no wonder that
for
 kids like Jacob, suicide seems an acceptable alternative.  Nationwide, gay
 and lesbian youth are four times more likely than their straight peers to
 attempt suicide (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 1989).  Every
year,
 too many of them succeed. 
 
 As teenagers, both of us needed so desperately to hear that there was the
 possibility of a good life beyond the fearsome challenge of telling the
world
 we were gay.   We were each fortunate enough to have loving families who
went
 through a difficult transition with us and emerged intact, supportive and
 accepting of who we are. We hope the surviving members of the East High Gay
 Straight Alliance get the information, support and love they need to deal
 with the world as it is, and perhaps to continue fighting to make it a
better
 place. 
 
 If only someone could have gotten through to Jacob to tell him that it's
 worth the struggle.  We just wish he could have seen himself the way we saw
 him - as a vibrant and impressive young man who turned handsprings on a
sunny
 lawn to the applause and admiration of his friends.
 ______
 
 Jeff Dupre and Eliza  Byard are independent filmmakers in New York. 
 Teenagers who need information, referrals or a chance to talk about these
 issues can call 800-96YOUTH or 800-347-TEEN. >>

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  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Recent political cartoon in the N.Y. Daily News:
  Choir loft with "Baptists" singing, ". . . it's 
  a small mind after all . . . " 
                              --cartoonist unknown
                      ~~~~~~ 
                 Fred and Martin,
           strangers before all but 16.7%
            of the law, and fading fast,
     due in part to Bronster's "interpretation."
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


  

 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Recent political cartoon in the N.Y. Daily News:
  Choir loft with "Baptists" singing, ". . . it's 
  a small mind after all . . . " 
                              --cartoonist unknown
                      ~~~~~~ 
                 Fred and Martin,
           strangers before all but 16.7%
            of the law, and fading fast,
     due in part to Bronster's "interpretation."
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~