Greek American teacher Nikos Giannopoulos’ photograph posing with a fan and a LGBTQ pin besides Donald Trump and the first lady has gone viral. ‘Rhode Island’s 2017 Teacher of the Year’ who teaches at the Beacon Charter High School for the Arts, was invited to the White House in celebration of his accolade and has told worldwide media Trump “loved it!”
On his personal Facebook he posted the commemorative photo, taken in April, showing him holding a black lace fan and wearing a rainbow pin.
The photo has been "liked" 21,000 times, and shared over 5,500 times.
“It was a great honour 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,” said Nikos.
“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."
“When I think back to my time in the White House, I will not remember the person seated at the desk,” he wrote, referring to President Trump.
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.”
