Nikos Giannopoulos won the Teacher of the Year Award in Rhode Island this year and got a chance to have his pix taken with Trump and Melania in the Oval Office. He came prepared with black lace fan and rainbow pin. Of the time he spent in the Oval Office, Nikos says “When I think back to my time in the White House, I will not remember the person seated at the desk,” he wrote.
He shares his story on NPR and it’s a nice way to start the weekend. Be Well, Kossacks.
I'm Nikos Giannopoulos , 29 years old, and I am a special education teacher at the Beacon Charter High School for the Arts. I was named Rhode Island's 2017 Teacher of the Year, which is why I got to go to the White House, with all of the other teachers of the year.
What's the story behind the fan? Where did it come from? What does it mean?
The fan was actually my partner's. He bought it as a souvenir on a trip to Venice, but I found it about five years ago. Since then I've integrated it into my day-to-day life. I'm extremely campy and it's a popular prop of mine. I've taken it with me all over the country whenever I go on vacation, so that's why I had it.
But ultimately, I have been visibly gay my entire life; I was more feminine than a lot of boys and I carried myself in a non-traditional gender expression. And I got a lot of flak for it. As a boy, I think I internalized that and didn't embrace that part of me. Now, as an adult, I adjusted to my queer identity. So the fan represents self-acceptance and being unabashedly myself in a society that's not always ready to accept that.
What was President Trump's reaction to the fan? Did he say anything?
Oh, he loved it! I popped it open when I walked into the office because I'm a very sassy person. And [President] Trump complimented it right away. He said, "I love the fan!" And he told me I had great style. Then, when I was ushered in for my private photo with the president and Melania [Trump] I was told I should put it away. So I just folded it up and held it at my side. But when it came time for the photo, I just asked the president, "Do you mind if I use the fan for the photo?" He said, "Absolutely go for it." So I popped my fan and did my pose.
The necklace is pretty amazing, too. It looks like it has an anchor on it.
Yes. That's an image of Rhode Island that's prevalent throughout the state. It's on the state motto, which is based on a bible verse — that hope is the anchor of the soul. It's a beautiful verse that is relevant for people of all faiths and is especially meaningful for minority groups. For anyone in a marginalized group, hope is the last thing you give up.
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“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.
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.”
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