Jacob Lawrence Orosco

On September 3, 1997, only eight days after classes began, Jacob Lawrence Orosco hanged himself at his mother's home. He was 17, a senior in high school, incoming President of the East High School Gay/Straight Student Alliance at East High School - part of the Salt Lake City School District, except that the Alliance had been prohibited from meeting as a student group and had been effectively prevented from meeting as a non-student group due to the imposition of a ridiculously high rental fee (including $1 million in liability insurance coverage). This time last year, Jacob Orosco's life was fuller than it had ever been. Jacob was a very fun, hyper, and cool individual. He loved so many people and so many people loved him. He was out of the closet, not just to friends and family but to the entire community. He has given so many people happiness and a smile when they needed one. He has also helped other people get courage and strength to show who they are. He had helped found a gay club at his high school, a move that had prompted the Salt Lake City school board to shut down all extracurricular activities rather than accept the club's existence, and the state legislature talking about giving up all federal education aid rather than accept the club's existence..

He had been featured in a documentary film that focused in part on the club's struggle and the national reaction to it. He had danced with boys at the prom and helped lead panels on the problems of gay youth, speaking out on the need for gay teenagers to have organizations of their own. In his final days, he had been busy reorganizing the club, the Gay/Straight Alliance. Despite the extracurricular ban, it had held evening meetings last spring at his school, East High, which is required by law to rent space to community organizations. In his final days, he had been dealing with a new obstacle, finding $400 to buy a $1 million liability insurance policy demanded by the school before the club could resume its evening meetings. One of his former teacher said: "I never met a sweeter, gentler kid. What a loss this is; what an irreplaceable person has been taken from this world. His pain must have been beyond understanding." A Friend said: "I've actually been friends with Jacob for about three years and we always used to go to the mall and stuff when we were really really depressed and try on clothes that were way too expensive for us to afford." Kelli Peterson, co-founder of the Alliance said: "My last word on the subject is that I miss Jacob terribly. I fear that others will look upon his suicide as an acceptable means to deal with the loss of Jacob. I don't know if I could handle the loss of another friend to such doubt and mystery. I love Jacob for the ways that he touched my life. But I feel such overwhelming rage toward him for not considering anyone but himself in his final hours."