MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Controversial Libs of TikTok founder accused of spreading 'violence against LGBTQ children and allies'

Libs of TikTok has pages on Twitter, Instagram as well as on Youtube, while her TikTok account has reportedly been removed

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: The founder of a social media account, 'Libs of TikTok', has been accused of spreading “violence against LGTBQ kids and their allies”. A Twitter user Michael O'Brien, MD, whose social bio reads, “(he/they) 🏥 Pediatrics PGY-2 🏳️‍🌈 Gay, Queer. #LGBTQinHealthcare 💪 #DisarmHate ❤️,” have come out with these allegations against Chaya Raichik.

O'Brien tweeted on his private account, “Chaya Raichik is [inciting] violence against LGBTQ kids and their allies. Chaya Raichik is supporting domestic terror. Chaya Raichik is spreading fear across the world and enabling hatred and slurs. Ban her. Now. @TwitterSupport.” But Raichik fired back at him through the 'Libs of TikTok' Twitter account by writing, “Why is this doctor obsessed with me"

ALSO READ

What is the 'Libs of TikTok'? Washington Post accused of 'doxxing' trigger group

Teacher slammed for TikTok video for 'mis-pronouning' student: 'Beyond any level of stupidity'

The reply also noted, "I’m not gonna date you @triplethreat_md.” In later tweets, Raichik said, ".@TripleThreat_MD goes into echo chamber mode,” before adding, “he/they is gonna start tweeting about how we ‘targeted’ him because I responded to just one tweet after he kept tweeting at me.”

Who is Chaya Raichik?

As mentioned above, Raichik is behind the Libs of TikTok which has pages on Twitter, Instagram as well as on YouTube. The page was on TikTok also but now has reportedly been removed. Her name first came out in public in April this year when The Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz exposed her through her article, titled, "Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right’s outrage machine."

In the piece, Lorenz wrote about the social media pages, “The account has emerged as a powerful force on the Internet, shaping right-wing media, impacting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and influencing millions by posting viral videos aimed at inciting outrage among the right."

According to the April report, Raichik was a real estate salesperson in Brooklyn when she launched her social media page in November 2020 under the username @shaya69830552. Using the account, she “minimized covid, cast doubt on the election results and promoted a dubious story about a child sex trafficking ring.”

However, she eventually named her account Libs of TikTok and “got its big break: Joe Rogan started promoting the account to the millions of listeners of his hit podcast.”

Ari Drennen, LGBTQ program director for Media Matters, the progressive media watchdog group, had told Lorenz at the time, “Libs of TikTok is basically acting as a wire service for the broader right-wing media ecosystem. It’s been shaping public policy in a real way, and affecting teachers’ ability to feel safe in their classrooms.” He further added, “Libs of TikTok is shaping our entire political conversation about the rights of LGBTQ people to participate in society. It feels like they’re single-handedly taking us back a decade in terms of the public discourse around LGBTQ rights. It’s been like nothing we’ve ever really seen."

In February 2022, Raichik anonymously gave an interview to The New York Post also, where she said, “I don’t do this for money or fame. I’m not some politician or blue-check journalist. And people feel like they have someone they can talk to when they have no one else to ask to help them spread it.”

She had claimed, “With me, they have a place to reach out to to get the message out. I feel like there are so many small stories that are so important that aren’t getting out — and that’s what I’m here for. It sometimes feels like a mini Project Veritas,” before adding, “I’ve been called a ‘Nazi,’ ‘white supremacist,’ ‘grifter,’ ‘liar’. I’m not offended — I think these people are so broken. The people on the left who all day call people Nazis and white supremacists are so broken. All the left-wing media are brainwashing people.”