Cross-dressing Texas teacher resigns after viral video shows him wearing pink dress at school
Rachmad Tjachyadi advocated for using LGBT club to teach 'baby gays' how to 'vogue'
A cross-dressing Texas high school teacher who was placed on leave after showing up to school in women’s clothing has reportedly resigned.
Rachmad Tjachyadi, a chemistry teacher at Hebron High School in Carrollton, about 15 minutes west of Dallas, went viral in February after a video shared on social media showed the educator wearing a pink dress with matching boots and hat while he walked the halls as students looked on during a school spirit event.
Shortly after the video went viral, officials with the Lewisville ISD placed Tjachyadi, known as “Mr. T” to his students, on administrative leave. District officials said the investigation found Tjachyadi did not violate any school policies, according to CBS News Texas.
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In his resignation letter, Tjachyadi did not offer any apology, but said his decision was “greatly influenced” by the “negativity from outside our district.”
“It has been challenging to watch the negative external commentary about me and about our campus, but much more important to me is the support shown by my colleagues, students, and [the school district],” he wrote.
“My focus is and has always been our students, and I still believe in the important work being done at Hebron and in Lewisville ISD every day. It is because of my love for Hebron and our students that I have decided not to return. I know that might sound strange, but any time adult disagreements overshadow our students' learning and well-being, it is time to step away.”
A group of Dallas-based trans advocates disrupted a Lewisville ISD School Board meeting on March 4 to demand the school “reject hate and reinstate” Tjachyadi.
In a video shared on Instagram, the protesters were heard chanting, “Lewisville must reinstate! Lead with love not with hate!” as board members exited the meeting.
Following reports of the initial video in February, a CP report found Tjachyadi publicly advocated for using the school’s LGBT club to teach “baby gays” how to “vogue.”
In a Facebook comment from Feb. 17, 2022, bearing Tjacyahi’s name and profile image, the chemistry teacher sought help with teaching members of Hebron High School’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) — whom he called “baby gays” — to dance suggestively, or “vogue.”
The post read: “I need someone who can teach my GSA Baby Gays how to VOGUE properly!! The GSA kiddos want to present voguing during a cultural festival at our school in a few weeks.”
Tjacyahi appeared to hold an active role in the school’s GSA, appearing in several posts on the group’s Instagram page.
One photo shows Tjacyahi surrounded by several students celebrating Black History Month, with a caption recognizing LGBT activist and drag queen “Marsha P. Johnson.”
Another post from March 2022 on the Hebron GSA page shows what appear to be high school students dressed in drag.
Tjacyahi was also involved in another non-school district initiative called Forward Slash Project, a “queer archive” project that seeks “knowledge disruption that opens pedagogical space for queerness as an ideality that can be used to re/imagine and re/think futurity.”
According to Tjacyahi’s bio on the site, he sought to “utilize dress-up days at his schools to show off his feminine side in the education settings. His goal as an educator is not only to educate the students in science but also to be an out [LGBT] role model in a professional setting.”
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post and the author of BACKWARDS DAD: a children's book for grownups. He can be reached at: [email protected].
