A Texas high school teacher has been suspended after a video emerged of him talking to his students in a flowing pink dress and attending class in a tutu.
Hebron High School in Lewisville took action after images of chemistry teacher Rachmad Tjachyadi went viral and sparked angry reactions.
One video shows the teacher 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 class 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 the situation is currently under review, there is no additional information the district can provide. to share’.
Chemistry teacher Rachmad Tjachyadi at Hebron High School in Lewisville, Texas
Tjachyadi’s appearance in a pink dress seemed to make little impression on unimpressed students
He was also filmed taking a class in a multi-coloured tutu and leggings
The footage went viral after it was posted by TikTok’s Twitter account Libs with the caption “this is a grown man.”
‘I was told that he also sometimes comes to teach dressed up and has a fetish for wearing women’s clothing. How is this acceptable?!; added to the bill.
The post sparked thousands of comments, many demanding the teacher be fired.
“Texas already has a huge problem because parents still think it’s a distant CA issue,” Amy Haywood tweeted.
“This is not acceptable,” Phil Larsen added. ‘It is accepted, however. Why?
“Because of weak leadership in school boards across the country.”
“Fetishes have no place on any school campus,” Lilly Belle Wild wrote.
‘The whole world is a stage for their theatre!’ added another.
“I have no idea how our schools got so low. Our children deserve better.’
Tjachyadi has worked as a teacher in Dallas-area schools since 2002 after earning an MS in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he was employed by the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District for eight years beginning in 2015 and appears to have moved to the Lewisville district in recent months.
Other leaked photos show Tjachyadi wearing a dress that appears to be modeled after that of the villain Ursula from Disney’s Little Mermaid, and sprawled out on the floor in high heels and a knee-length, glittery red dress clutching a clutch bag during one of the prom nights.
The veteran teacher was dressed more orthodox to receive an award with colleagues
‘The whole world is a stage for their theatre!’ wrote one irate critic on Twitter
In a leaked photo, Tjachyadi can be seen wearing a dress that appears to be modeled after that of the villain Ursula from Disney’s Little Mermaid.
Tjachyadi wore his tutu and leggings as he battled anti-trans protesters
The Fowardslash Project described its educational goals as “not only to educate students in science, but also to be an LGBTQ+ role model in a professional environment.”
Tjachyadi has worked as a teacher in Dallas-area schools since 2002 after earning an MS in chemical engineering from 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 sprawled on the floor in high heels and a knee-length glittery red dress while clutching a handbag during one of the prom nights.
One trans-friendly website suggested in its profile that Tjachyadi had been cross-dressing at school for years.
The Fowardslash Project, which describes itself as “an archive that unearths and interrogates anomalous queer subjects,” described its learning goals as “not only to educate students in science, but also to provide an LGBTQ+ role model are in a professional setting’.
“The choir director at his school asked him to dress up (along with three other female teachers) as one of the Supremes for an open mic night, and the rest is history,” it explained.
‘Rachmad used dress-up days at his schools to show his feminine side in education.’
The row echoes the case of transgender Canadian teacher Kayla Lemieux, who made waves at her Toronto school after appearing with prosthetic Z-cup breasts that she claimed were the result of a medical condition.
The Dallas Asian American Historical Society said it “stands in full solidarity with Rachmad and against the district’s discriminatory actions.”
And supportive students at Hebron High have started a petition on change.org claiming the images of Tjachyadi in the calf-length pink dress were taken on a ‘spirit day’ and demanding he be allowed back into the classroom.
More than 3,500 people have signed the petition, illustrated with a photo of Tjachyadi with multi-colored flowers on his head and poorly applied lipstick.
“He is called a pedophile, among other things, but that is NOT the case and he is loved by many students in Hebron,” wrote the petition’s 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 doesn’t deserve to be vilified and lose his job.
Thousands of supporters have signed a petition demanding he be allowed back to class
The Dallas Asian American Historical Society said it “stands in full solidarity with Rachmad and against the district’s discriminatory actions.”
‘He is in no way a pedophile or publicizing a ‘fetish’.
‘Many students in his class even encouraged him to wear the dress.
‘He has encouraged many students to improve and shows genuine care for his students.
“The recent decision to place him on probation has left our community frustrated and disappointed.
“It would be a great loss for Hebron High School to lose a teacher like Mr. Tjachyadi. Free my boy, Mr. T.”