A Texas teacher with more than 1.8 million TikTok followers is going viral for a classroom lesson aimed at helping students understand what the word “gay” actually means.
Christian Shearhod, known online as @mr.shearhod, regularly shares videos promoting inclusivity, kindness, and empathy in the classroom. One of his latest lessons has drawn widespread attention on social media for tackling a word many students hear every day.
In the video, Shearhod stands before a classroom of middle school students and begins with a question.
“‘This is gay! That is gay! Everything is gay!’ I hear it all day, but do y’all know what it means?” Shearhod asks in the video.
The lesson unfolds as a call-and-response exercise. Using photos and emojis projected on a screen, Shearhod asks students whether certain activities, interests, or forms of self-expression are inherently “gay.”
“Painting your nails, is it gay? No! Wearing pink, is it gay? No! No, of course not!” Shearhod says in the video.
He then asks students why people wear pink, encouraging them to think about how colors and interests are often associated with gender stereotypes.
“To express, um, breast cancer,” one student responds in the video.
Throughout the lesson, Shearhod asks students about a variety of examples, including wearing crop tops, holding hands, wearing dresses, liking Barbie, liking My Little Pony, boys liking boys, and girls liking girls.
The exercise emphasizes that clothing, hobbies, and self-expression do not determine a person’s sexual orientation.
At one point, Shearhod displays an image of a boy wearing a dress and jokes with students.
“Wearing a dress, is it gay? … Do you think he feels bonita?” Shearhod says in the video.
The lesson also addresses the casual use of the word “gay” as a synonym for something considered strange or undesirable—a usage that has been common for decades despite having no connection to sexual orientation.
Later in the lesson, Shearhod asks students why some people react negatively to images depicting self-expression or same-sex relationships.
“Can y’all believe that some people look at this and they don’t like that? … You’re so hateful, you know what I mean? This is beautiful. And being gay is? Okay!” Shearhod says in the video.
Part of the lesson’s appeal appears to be its straightforward approach. Rather than framing the topic as controversial, Shearhod presents sexual orientation as one aspect of human diversity while encouraging students to separate identity from stereotypes.
The word “gay” itself has evolved over time. Historically, it was used to mean “happy” or “carefree” before becoming one of the most widely recognized terms associated with same-sex attraction. Over the years, it has also frequently been used in casual conversation in ways unrelated to its meaning.
Shearhod has built a large audience on TikTok, where his account has amassed more than 1.8 million followers through videos focused on education and classroom culture.
