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Nick Popadich, an English teacher at Grand Blanc High School in Michigan, was dragged on social media by someone who objected to Popadich wearing makeup and rejecting binary gender based stereotypes.
Popadich, who identifies as queer has two children. He posted two photos of himself on social media wearing makeup and oversized sunglasses in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride month.
Nick Popadich/Facebook
A Facebook group entitled "Grand Blanc Residents Uncensored" saw a resident of the community sharing photos of Popadich's looks and disparaging him.
"Is it true this man teaches at Grand Blanc High School?" they wrote.
"This is not acceptable as a role model for kids easily influenced."
However others in the group didn't support the homophobic viewpoint.
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Popadich, who didn't personally see the posts, began receiving texts saying:
"Nick, you gotta check this out. Somebody's bashing you on social media."
But his community already came to his defense.
"Say you're homophobic without saying you're homophobic," said one commenter.
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Popadich said, after hearing about the post and his community's support, his choice to wear makeup was specifically in order to be a role model to queer kids.
"Teachers need to represent every student," he said.
"And we have plenty of people that look a certain way, but we also need to have other people that are going to be there for kids and be a role model for kids that do feel differently or are going to express themselves in a different way."
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
Nick Popadich/Facebook
In a world that can be homophobic, especially to young children, a teacher who expresses themselves freely can boost their students' self-esteem.
Popadich, though faced with his own adversity, chooses to represent diversity.
For that, we applaud him.