A Texas high school teacher was suspended after a video surfaced of him speaking to his students in a flowy pink dress and taking a class in a tutu.
Hebron High School in Lewisville took action after images of chemistry teacher Rachmad Tjachyadi went viral and sparked a furious backlash.
One video shows the educator strolling around in a pink taffeta dress and matching pink hat and boots, as students look on.
Other photos show him wearing the outfit in the classroom and writing on a whiteboard while dressed in a multi-colored tutu.
In a letter to parents, Principal Amy Broughton admitted that “it would be natural for our families to have questions about this situation,” before insisting that because it is “under review, there is no additional information the district can share.”
Rachmad Tjachyadi, chemistry teacher at Hebron High School in Lewisville, Texas
Tjachyadi’s appearance in a pink dress seemed to have little impact on the unimpressed students.
He was also filmed taking a lesson in a multi-coloured tutu and tights.
The footage went viral after it was posted on TikTok’s Libs Twitter account with the caption “this is a grown man.”
‘I was told that he also sometimes appears to teach dressed in full drag and that he has a fetish for wearing women’s clothing. How is this acceptable?!; she added the account.
The post generated thousands of responses, with many demanding the teacher be fired.
“Texas already has a huge problem on its hands because parents still think it’s a problem far away from CA,” Amy Haywood tweeted.
“This is not acceptable,” added Phil Larsen, “however, it is accepted.” Because?
“Because of weak leadership on school boards across the country.”
“Fetishes don’t belong on any school campus,” wrote Lilly Belle Wild.
‘The whole world is a stage for his theater!’ added another.
‘I have no idea how our schools have fallen so low. “Our children deserve better.”
Tjachyadi has worked as a teacher in Dallas-area schools since 2002 after earning a master’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
He was employed by the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District for eight years starting in 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile, and appears to have moved to the Lewisville district in recent months.
Other leaked photos show Tjachyadi wearing a dress apparently inspired by that of the villain Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and lying on the floor in high heels and a bright red knee-length dress clutching a handbag on one of the nights of School’s graduation.
The veteran teacher dressed in a more orthodox way to receive an award with her classmates
‘The whole world is a stage for his theater!’ wrote one furious critic on Twitter.
A leaked photo shows Tjachyadi wearing a dress apparently inspired by that of the villain Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Tjachyadi wore her tutu and leggings as she confronted anti-trans protesters.
The Fowardslash project described its teaching goals as “not only educating students in science, but also being an LGBTQ+ role model in a professional setting.”
Tjachyadi has worked as a teacher in Dallas-area schools since 2002 after earning a master’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
Tjachyadi has now been placed on administrative leave ‘pending review’ by Hebron High School Principal Amy Broughton.
A leaked photo showed him lying on the floor in high heels and a bright red knee-length dress while clutching a clutch at one of the school’s graduation nights.
A trans-friendly website suggested in its profile that Tjachyadi had cross-dressed at school for years.
The Fowardslash project, which describes itself as “an archive that excavates and interrogates deviant queer subjects,” described its teaching goals as “not only educating students in science but also being an LGBTQ+ role model in an environment.” professional”.
“Her school’s choir director asked her to dress up as one of the Supremes (along with three other teachers) for an open mic night, and the rest is history,” she explained.
“Rachmad used dress up days at her schools to show her feminine side in the educational environment.”
The dispute echoes the case of transgender Canadian teacher Kayla Lemieux, who sparked a furore at her Toronto school after appearing with Z-shaped breast prostheses that she said were the result of a medical condition.
The Asian American Historical Society of Dallas said it was “in complete solidarity with Rachmad and against the district’s discriminatory actions.”
And supportive Hebron High students have started a petition on change.org claiming that the images of Tjachyadi in the calf-length pink dress were taken on a “spiritual day” and demanding that she be allowed to return to class.
More than 3,500 people have signed the petition, illustrated with a photo of Tjachyadi with multicolored flowers on her head and poorly applied lipstick.
“They call him a pedophile, among other names, but that is NOT the case and many students in Hebron adore him,” wrote petition organizer Julia Ngo.
‘He is a great teacher, he explains chemistry very well and has created a very fun and safe environment for his students.
‘He does not deserve to be defamed and lose his job.
Thousands of supporters have signed a petition demanding he be allowed to return to school.
The Asian American Historical Society of Dallas said it was “in complete solidarity with Rachmad and against the district’s discriminatory actions.”
‘He is in no way a pedophile nor is he advertising a “fetish.”
‘In fact, many students in his class encouraged him to wear the dress in the first place.
‘He has driven many students to improve and shows genuine care for his students.
‘The recent decision to release him on parole has left our community frustrated and disappointed.
‘It would be a great loss for Hebron High School to lose a teacher like Mr. Tjachyadi. Release my boy, Mr. T.’