A cross-dressing Texas teacher who went viral for wearing a bright pink dress to school has resigned — despite school officials clearing him of any wrongdoing.
Chemistry teacher Rachmad Tjachyad was initially put on leave during an investigation into the firestorm sparked by him wearing the long dress and matching colored cowboy hat and boots on Valentine’s Day at Hebron High School in Carrollton.
The Lewisville Independent School District later said its review “affirmed there are no specific policies related to staff attire on dress-up days,” KXAS reported — and more than 20,000 people signed an online petition pushing for him to be reinstated.
However, Tjachyadi wrote a letter to his students announcing he was resigning anyway, the local outlet said.
“After much thought and consideration, I believe this decision is best for everyone,” he wrote.
“It has been very difficult to see the hateful comments on social media about me and about Hebron High School, and that has greatly influenced my decision to remove myself from the narrative,” he said, according to KXAS.
“The last thing I want to do is remove the focus from the great things our students and staff are doing, and sadly that is what all the external voices are trying to do,” Tjachyadi continued.
Rachmad Tjachyadi/Facebook
While announcing his decision to leave, Tjachyadi said he was still “grateful the district determined I did not violate any policies with my clothing choice on dress up day.”
The teacher first went viral after his pink ensemble was shared by Libs of TikTok last month.
“UNREAL,” the site said, sharing parents’ anger. “I’m told he also sometimes shows up to teach dressed in full drag and has a [fetish] for wearing women’s clothing.”
An image shared by the account showed Tjachyadi clad in a multicolored tutu skirt and printed leggings.
Photos on his Facebook page showed him sporting a flowery headpiece, tie-dyed overalls and an Ursula costume from “The Little Mermaid.”
Even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott highlighted the anger, saying, “No parent should be forced by the state to send their child to this school.”
But students — who referred to him as Mr. T. — jumped to his defense, saying he had created a “safe space” for them.
“He’s never brought his sexuality or any of his political ideas into his teaching. He’s always teaching chemistry. It’s always chemistry,” student JuIi Ango told KXAS.
“He is a great teacher, he explains chemistry very well and has created a very fun and safe environment for his students,” the online petition says. “He does not deserve to be defamed and lose his job.
Stacey Monroe, director of the Trans Empowerment Coalition, rallied support from former students, teachers, community members and advocacy groups.
”We’re here for [Tjachyadi] as a community,” Monroe told the Dallas Morning News. “We want to remind [the district] that we will not be silenced, and we will not allow this to continue.”
She added that schools should be “led with compassion, with love and humility.”
