He was placed in 12 different foster homes over a two-year period, has had to change schools and endure harassment, ridicule and discrimination because he is gay.

Those hardships could have made him weak or angry, but instead, the difficulties made him strong and compassionate. Ortiz became a dedicated defender of civil rights and an advocate for students facing all manner of discrimination.

"I once used to be one of those people who sat around and complained how unfair the world was," Ortiz wrote in an essay. "But my former English teacher, Susan Reardon, inspired me to fight for gay rights. As a matter of fact, she inspired me to fight for all kinds of rights."

Alex Ortiz

"Sometimes, people don't see harassment as a big deal, but sometimes verbal attacks can hurt worse than physical ones," Ortiz says. "People think, 'It's OK, someday that sort of thing will go away.' But it won't go away unless someone stands up to it."

Another time, he took on the case of a female student who wanted to join the high school football team. He met with both the coaches and the girl's parents to convince them to let her play. In the end, it worked out beautifully. "Her parents would go to watch her games and they were so proud," Ortiz says.

At Kalaheo High School, Ortiz was the president of the Gay-Straight Alliance. When he transferred to Campbell High School, he helped to start a chapter of the Alliance on that campus.

For all his efforts in the pursuit of justice and civil rights, Ortiz was named a youth grand marshals of the 2004 Honolulu Gay Pride parade, which will be the morning of June 19 in Waikiki.

In the personal statement Ortiz wrote for the parade organizers, he said:

"Knowing all of the hatred that is passed around in this world, I will admit there are a lot of people that are so against the gay community that they would want all of us to disappear off the face of the earth. But we, as human beings, cannot let ourselves be victims of this hatred. We need to stand up together and fight for what is right. It will be a very hard battle to fight. And it will also be a very long and harsh road. But we must keep in mind that we are not just helping ourselves, but the future generations as well."

After 12 foster homes and several shelter stays, Ortiz finally has a home where the love and acceptance he sought for others is available for him. His adopted father, a Marine, is "totally supportive" Ortiz says. "I'm very fortunate."