With no announcement from the sitting president, it is upon us all to wish everyone Happy Pride. We all can do this in our own special way, may it be marching with your accepting church group, your workplace, volunteering to set up and tear down after the parade, or throwing on the jock strap and riding a float representing an alcohol company.
Then again, some of don't wait for June to show our pride. Some of us do it every single day. Pair that with being Rhode Island’s 2017 teacher of the year meeting with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office and you have a pic that has gone viral.
The photo shows Rhode Island teacher Nikos Giannopoulos holding a black lace fan and wearing a rainbow LGBTQ pin, while standing beside the president and the first lady.
“Rhode Island Teacher of the Year 2017 meets the 45th President of the United States. That's all,” the photo’s caption read alongside multiple rainbow emojis.
As of Friday afternoon, the photo had garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of shares. – thehill.com
“It was a great honor to be received in the Oval Office, and it really meant a lot to me that I was able to express myself authentically and represent for my community,” Giannopoulos told The Hill.
“For my trip to the White House, I wore a rainbow pin to represent my gratitude for the LGBTQ community that has taught me to be proud, bold, and empowered by my identity — even when circumstances make that difficult,” he wrote.
“I wore a blue jacket with a bold print and carried a black lace fan to celebrate the joy and freedom of gender nonconformity,” Giannopoulos continued.
In the post, which does not mention Trump by name, Giannopoulos refers the president as “the person behind the desk.”
“When I think back to my time in the White House, I will not remember the person seated at the desk,” he wrote.
Instead, the teacher said he will remember other teachers who have stood up to “structural barriers of race, gender, socioeconomic status, home language, immigration status, sexual orientation, and much more.” – thehill.com
We all show our pride in different ways. Sometimes a few may see our pride for our community. Other times, our actions are seen by hundreds, thousands, millions.
Nikos, thank you for showing your PRIDE.
h/t: thehill.com
A man of true integrity and
A man of true integrity and leadership. And no, I'm not referring to the person behind the desk.
That’s a very ignorant
That's a very ignorant comment to make especially about the teacher of the year. You instead are giving credit to bigoted Trump. Unbelievable.