A TEACHER IS going viral for showing his LGBT pride in a ‘sassy’ photo with US President Donald Trump.
Special education teacher Nikos Giannopoulos was recently named the Teacher of the Year for the state Rhode Island, and attended a reception at the White House.
He got to pose for an official photo with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania – and he worked it.
The photo of Giannopoulos with his fan popped and a rainbow pin on his lapel has gone super viral after he posted it to Facebook, with thousands of likes and shares.
In a delightful Q&A with NPR, he revealed that he’s “sassy”, “extremely campy” and enjoys carrying props – the fan, to him, represents “being myself in a society that’s not always ready to accept that”.
He says President Trump thought it was great:
Trump complimented it right away. He said, “I love that fan!” and he told me I had great style. When it came time for the photo, I just asked the President: “Do you mind if I use my fan for the photo?” He said, “Absolutely, go for it.” So I popped my fan and did the pose.
The photo comes after Trump did not acknowledge June as Pride Month, as his predecessor Barack Obama did every year of his administration.
However, Giannopoulos wrote on Facebook that he chose every item he wore to reflect and represent the LGBT community, and thought of his queer students as he stood in the Oval Office:
Each of these brave young people have made an impact on my life and I carry their stories wherever I go. Everything I do in this role as Rhode Island Teacher of the Year is for them.
Sounds like an amazing teacher. Congratulations, Nikos!
