25 Years Ago, a Gay Student Sought Support. His School Turned to Tim Walz.

One student’s turbulent coming-out journey in the 1990s put Mr. Walz, then a football coach, at the center of gay rights in a Minnesota high school.

Taunts and threats escalated as rumors about Jacob Reitan’s sexual orientation swirled around his southern Minnesota high school during his senior year in 1999.

Someone chalked a slur on his driveway in giant letters. His mother recalled being horrified by anonymous mail that arrived at their home, including one message that said her gay son would be better off dead.

After the teenager found his car window smashed in the school parking lot, he told officials at Mankato West High School that he intended to come out of the closet and sought their support to start a gay-straight alliance club.

The principal made an unconventional decision in the choice of a faculty adviser for the club, which the high school had never had before in this relatively conservative city: Tim Walz, a geography teacher who was also a football coach. Mr. Walz readily agreed, and the choice came as a relief to Mr. Reitan.

“It was important to have a person who was so well-liked on campus, a football coach who had served in the military,” said Mr. Reitan, now 42. “Having Tim Walz as the adviser of the gay-straight alliance made me feel safe coming to school.”