Trans teacher resigns after social media video shared in viral Libs of TikTok post

A transgender teacher has been forced to resign after being targeted by right-wing group Libs of TikTok. 

Rosie Sandri told NBC News that she was left “heart-broken” after handing in her resignation on Monday (31 March), in the wake of backlash to a TikTok video in which she highlighted her experience as a trans woman and teacher. 

Sandri, who came out as trans seven months ago, had taught English at Red Oak High School, in Ellis County, about an hour from Dallas, in Texas, for three years. She had told her students, all aged 15 or 16, that they could call her “whatever they were comfortable with”, but emphasised that she preferred she/her pronouns. 

On TikTok, Sandri referred to herself as the “transgender goddess”. Her videos are informative and aim to educate people on what it’s like to be trans. She filmed some clips in her classroom after school hours. 

Former pupils have responded to her most-recent video with comments such as “best teacher ever”, and: “We miss you, stay strong. Lovely makeup.” 

However, the right-wing social media account, run by founder Chaya Raichik, reposted one of her videos, deadnaming and misgendering her. In the clip, Sandri talks about her pupils being “completely on board” with her change of pronouns. 

“They call me ‘ma’am’. They call me ‘miss,’ she said. “They use my correct pronouns and know my correct name, and it’s incredible affirming.” 

However, Libs of TikTok captioned the video: “Meet Zachary Sandri, a man pretending to be a woman. Zachary is a teacher. He says he gets gender euphoria from being called ma’am and feels affirmed when his students use his female name and pronouns.” 

The account then asked its more than four million followers: “Would you feel comfortable with this person teaching your kid?” 

Libs of TikTok’s repost has been viewed more than six million times and attracted some 9,000 comments. Republican state representative Brian Harrison took to X/Twitter to repost it, and called for Sandri to be fired immediately.

He went on to say: “Public schools (and the property taxes that fund them) are for education… not leftist indoctrination.”

🚨As the State Representative for Red Oak ISD, I am demanding that THIS TEACHER BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED!

Public schools (and the property taxes that fund them) are for education… not leftist indoctrination!

I am in communication with @redoakisd and will keep you posted. https://t.co/NmXuk3hL2t

— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) March 28, 2025

Harrison later told NBC News that he was proud to have helped remove Sandri from her job.

“Any teacher who claims to get gender euphoria from their minor students and teaches them that boys can become girls should be terminated immediately,” he said.

Following the campaign against Sandri, she was informed that the school had also received threats. She was placed on administrative leave for two days while an investigation took place, before agreeing to resign.

“When I signed that resignation, it felt like my dream was being taken away from me,” Sandri told NBC, revealing that she had wanted to be a teacher since she was five years old.

Following her resignation, an email was sent to other members of staff members, which reportedly was not related to Sandri, to remind them: “Your freedom of speech is not free of consequences if it results in a disruption of your ability to do your job.”

In 2023, an investigation led by Vice shed light on how schools across the US had faced bomb threats just days after being targeted by Libs of TikTok.

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