4th Grade Teacher Defends Her Decision to Come Out to Her Students, Says She Felt ‘Proud’ to Choose ‘Honesty’ (Exclusive)
4th Grade Teacher Defends Her Decision to Come Out to Her Students, Says She Felt ‘Proud’ to Choose ‘Honesty’ (Exclusive)
Tereza ShkurtajSat, June 13, 2026 at 8:59 PM UTC
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Asiah HolmCredit: Asiah Holm (2) -
In 2025, Asiah Holm went viral after sharing a two-part video of herself coming out as a lesbian to her fourth-grade students
The videos captured her honest response to questions about her personal life and sparked mixed reactions across social media
A year later, the 34-year-old is revisiting the moment through a repost of the clips and the release of her song "Love is Love"
In 2025, Asiah Holm shared a two-part video of herself responding to questions from her fourth-grade students who had spent months asking whether she had a boyfriend or husband.
The videos quickly went viral, generating both praise and criticism before administrators ultimately asked her to remove them. Now, during Pride Month and alongside the release of her new song, "Love is Love," the former educator-turned-artist has reposted the clips, bringing renewed attention to the conversation that started it all.
"At the heart of it, it was just an open conversation about who I am," Holm, 34, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
According to Holm, the recorded conversation wasn't a planned lesson or carefully orchestrated moment. Instead, it stemmed from a line of questioning that had become increasingly common in her fourth-grade classroom, where students frequently asked about her personal life and relationships.
"In many classrooms, it's completely normal for teachers to share parts of their lives — whether that's talking about their weekend, having family photos on their desk or even having their partner come in to volunteer," she explains. "Those small moments help humanize us and build connections."
As the questions continued, however, Holm found herself weighing whether continuing to avoid the topic was the right approach.
"At a certain point, it didn't feel right to keep deflecting or redirecting the conversation," she admits. "I realized that answering honestly could actually open the door to something meaningful — an opportunity to model openness and challenge assumptions in a way that felt natural and age-appropriate."
Asiah Holm and her partnerCredit: Asiah Holm
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When Holm finally told her students she was a lesbian, the response in the classroom differed significantly from much of the discourse that would later emerge online.
"What stood out to me most was how quickly [my students] moved from surprise into curiosity and acceptance," she recalls. "There wasn't any judgment, just questions."
At the same time, Holm says she found herself addressing a number of misconceptions and stereotypes about her relationship.
"Some of [the students] had very specific ideas about what a lesbian was supposed to 'look like' or 'feel like,' and a few even thought I was joking," she shares. "It was a reminder that those stereotypes are introduced early, often without us even realizing it."
Nevertheless, Holm believes the conversation accomplished exactly what classrooms are often meant to do: create space for students to ask questions, examine their assumptions and learn from one another.
"I feel proud that I chose honesty in that moment," she tells PEOPLE. "It created space for a genuinely authentic learning experience where stereotypes could be challenged and questioned in real time."
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Note from one of Asiah Holm's studentsCredit: Asiah Holm
But once clips of the exchange began circulating online, the reaction became far more divided.
While some praised the interaction as a thoughtful and age-appropriate discussion, others criticized the decision to address her sexuality in a classroom setting — prompting Holm to reflect on what she sees as a double standard in how educators discuss their personal lives.
"A straight teacher can casually mention their husband or wife without anyone giving it a second thought, yet when a queer relationship is referenced, it is often viewed as inappropriate or controversial," she explains. "I think it speaks to a larger reality — that we still have work to do when it comes to normalizing queer relationships."
Eventually, administrators asked Holm to remove the videos, and while she initially understood the concerns that were presented to her, the request was difficult to separate from the content of the conversation itself.
"It was hard not to take it personally," she admits. "I had shared plenty of classroom moments before without issue, so I knew the concern was less about the act of posting and more about what was being said."
Asiah Holm and her partnerCredit: Asiah Holm
The experience stayed with Holm long after the videos were taken down, and over time, many of the emotions surrounding that chapter of her life found their way into her music, ultimately inspiring "Love is Love," which she released this year during Pride Month.
"Reposting the video felt like reclaiming a part of my voice," Holm says. "After being approached by administration, I quickly took it down, but I realized I still carried unresolved feelings about that decision."
And although she was nervous about reopening a conversation that once drew significant criticism, Holm says the response this time has been overwhelmingly meaningful.
"I've been absolutely blown away by the response since reposting it, and by how many people it's reached," she says. "It's been really incredible to hear from so many teachers who have had similar conversations in their own classrooms."
Note from Asiah Holm's studentCredit: Asiah Holm
After reposting the videos online, Holm hopes that this time around, "people understand it was never about making a statement or pushing an agenda."
"It was simply about responding honestly to a group of kids who were asking questions," she emphasizes. "At its core, it was about creating a space where curiosity could exist without shame."
Today, as she focuses on music and acting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Holm is centered on authenticity, visibility and self-expression.
"Writing 'Love is Love' was a way of turning something painful into something meaningful," she tells PEOPLE. "At the end of the day, that's what this is really about for me — having the courage to exist openly, and hopefully creating space for others to feel like they can do the same."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
