MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who is Jadzia Watsey? Philly teacher trolled for coming out as lesbian to her students

'Teachers need to be psychologically checked before they can teach,' a troll tweeted about the viral video

A teacher from Philadelphia in Pennsylvania was the latest victim of online trolling and homophobia after she recorded herself coming out to her students in a class. Jadzia Lynn Watsey, who is hugely popular on TikTok for her videos on teaching tips and student quirks, recently came out as a lesbian to her class. Amid cheer and applause from the students, Watsey recorded her coming out video and shared it on her TikTok account. However, the video did not sit well with many conservative parents who thought it was inappropriate for her to disclose her sexual preferences in a classroom.

Jadzia Watsey, who is believed to be a 25-year-old teacher of Geometry, Algebra, and Calculus at a Philadelphia high school, is quite famous on TikTok with the handle @jadziabee. She has over 3.4 million views on her videos and more than 1,100 likes. Her latest 'coming out to class' video garnered quite a lot of negative attention from people, including Republican leader Joe Papp who tweeted, "Why do they think their students need to know this?"

READ MORE

Is Lizzo gay? 'Truth Hurts' singer calls Sophia Eris the 'love of my life'

Who is JoJo Siwa dating? A look at her love life amid 'coming out' rumors with viral TikTok video

The Mathematics teacher, whose Instagram bio describes her as an avid traveller, hiker and thrift enthusiast, came out to her class on the first period on the occasion of National Coming Out Day. She uploaded the video later on her TikTok channel and earned accolades. But it went viral for the wrong reasons after it was picked up @libsoftiktok, a popular conservative platform dedicated to slamming the 'woke' culture. 

In the video, the teacher introduces herself to the class as Ms Watsey, before indicating that she identifies as a lesbian. One of her students can be heard in the background saying "We're so proud of you" as the class breaks into applause and loud cheers. She also recorded herself coming out to her other classes the same day, and all the students received her with immense cheer and celebration. 

"She was hired to teach! Just freaking teach the kids! Your personal life stays just that…personal! My students never knew my personal anything because I was hired to teach them and not look for validation of my personal life!" a Twitter user commented about her decision. 

Another troll said, "Teachers need to be psychologically checked before they can teach," while a third user remarked, " sure that none of my teachers ever did this. We barely even knew if they were married. Inappropriate and unnecessary."

"The incessant need for validation from other human beings is truly one of the most dangerous pathogens," another troll tweeted, adding a photo that said 'Narcissists should be banned from the teaching profession.'

Jadzia Watsey has not responded to the online trolling but she was defended from the trolls by many who lauded her decision.