Since her appointment, Raichik has sought to tug books depicting homosexual and transgender folks, in addition to intercourse schooling, from public faculty libraries, saying she has discovered “porn” in numerous districts. However her rising function within the state has drawn better consideration since Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary pupil, collapsed and died the day after a Feb. 7 combat in a ladies’ rest room at Owasso Excessive Faculty in suburban Tulsa. Members of the family stated Benedict had been bullied for months for being brazenly nonbinary.
Owasso Police Lt. Nick Boatman stated Friday that Benedict didn’t die on account of bodily trauma, in accordance with preliminary data from the medical expert, and that the division is awaiting the outcomes of toxicology testing to find out the reason for loss of life. Benedict’s dad and mom have questioned that conclusion. In the meantime, homosexual rights supporters in Oklahoma and elsewhere have continued guilty the combat for Benedict’s loss of life and to accuse Raichik of bearing some accountability for the combat.
On Thursday, Oklahoma Metropolis Councilor Sean Cummings (D) lambasted Raichik for stoking anti-LGBTQ+ hatred within the state, saying she has “blood on her fingers.” And Matt Bernstein, a 25-year-old LGBTQ+ content material creator in New York who has been focused by Raichik, stated: “I’m simply listening to continually how Chaya Raichik particularly has brought about a rift within the expertise of being a queer high-schooler in America.”
As Libs of TikTok, Raichik has been blamed for sparking bomb threats, property harm, capturing threats, written and verbal harassment and different types of violence towards people, hospitals and faculties throughout the nation — together with in Oklahoma, in accordance with GLAAD, a nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocacy group. In her profile image on X, she is holding a newspaper that reads: “when Libs of TikTok posts, threats more and more observe.”
In a podcast interview this week in regards to the violence that follows her posts, Raichik smiled and stated she’s pleased with being referred to as a stochastic terrorist — somebody who evokes supporters to commit violence by demonizing an individual or group.
“Truthfully, like, that makes me really feel actually essential,” Raichik stated.
On Thursday, in an hour-long interview with a Washington Put up reporter at a espresso store in Los Angeles, Raichik stated that “bomb threats are dangerous” and that she believes “individuals who name in bomb threats ought to be arrested.” However she stated: “I simply don’t know — what does it should do with me?”
Raichik referred to as Benedict’s loss of life “very tragic” and “horrible” however stated she believes nonbinary folks shouldn’t be allowed to obtain sure gender-affirming care.
Now time for public feedback, permitting ten completely different individuals who signed as much as converse for 3 minutes.
First is OKC Metropolis Councilor Sean Cummings, who goes after @libsoftiktok founder Chaya Raichik for what he says impressed threats to OK faculties and the loss of life of Nex Benedict pic.twitter.com/pz13eJqdbE— Samson Tamijani (@SamsonReports) February 22, 2024
Although she holds a seat on the Oklahoma library advisory committee, Raichik stated she has visited the state solely as soon as, in September, when she met with Walters. She tried to talk at a faculty board assembly to ask a couple of highschool principal who carried out as a drag queen, however the board denied her request.
Although she hasn’t spent a lot time within the state, Raichik has had an outsize affect on its educators. She stated she determined to become involved in Oklahoma politics after encountering LGBTQ+ academics on-line. Oklahomans “sadly have a whole lot of wokeness in a pink state, and I’m making an attempt to assist,” she stated.
For instance, in August, Raichik posted about an elementary faculty librarian in Tulsa who had a TikTok video with a graphic that stated, “POV: Lecturers in your state are dropping like flies however you’re nonetheless simply not fairly completed pushing your woke agenda on the public faculty.” Raichik shared the video, which had been edited to incorporate the librarian’s identify and faculty. Shortly afterward, the college obtained a bomb risk.
Walters, the state’s prime faculties official, retweeted Raichik’s put up. His workplace didn’t reply to requests for remark. In asserting Raichik’s appointment to the library board, he posted on Fb that “nobody has achieved extra to reveal what the novel left is all about than @ChayaRaichik10 and @libsoftiktok.”
Earlier than her rise to on-line fame, Raichik labored as an actual property salesperson in Brooklyn. She created the Twitter account that may ultimately grow to be Libs of TikTok in November 2020. After attending the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol, she amassed an viewers by selling coronavirus denialism and false tales about little one intercourse trafficking, along with casting doubt on the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election.
Raichik’s X account was quickly promoted by high-profile right-wing influencers and podcasters together with Joe Rogan. Funding from Seth Dillon — founding father of Babylon Bee, a satirical conservative information web site — allowed her to go away her actual property profession and deal with rising the account full-time. (On Thursday, Dillon tweeted that he’d reduce ties with Raichik and that the 2 have been “not working collectively.” Raichik instructed The Put up that they’d parted methods for “private causes.”)
Raichik’s assaults on LGBTQ+ folks escalated by way of 2021 and 2022. She advocated that any trainer who comes out as homosexual to their college students be “fired on the spot.” She referred to as on her followers to contact faculties that have been permitting “boys within the ladies’ bogs” and pushed the false accusation that faculties have been putting in litter containers in bogs for youngsters who establish as cats.
She referred to as adults who educate kids about LGBTQ+ identities “abusive,” asserted that being gender-nonconforming is a “psychological sickness” and referred to colleges as “government-run indoctrination camps” for the LGBTQ+ group. Her followers on X have skyrocketed from round 60,000 in July 2021 to greater than 2.8 million right now.
In Oklahoma, Raichik has been blamed by homosexual rights advocates for driving academics who help LGBTQ+ youths from their jobs. They embody former Owasso trainer Tyler Wrynn, who’s nonbinary. After Raichik posted about Wrynn, the trainer stated they obtained an onslaught of loss of life threats and harassment.
Benedict’s mom, who declined by way of her lawyer to talk to The Put up, instructed the Unbiased that her little one was indignant and upset about Raichik concentrating on Wrynn, saying academics who help LGBTQ+ youths are merely “permitting the scholars to be who they’re.”
Sonja, 42, a nonbinary Tulsa resident who spoke on the situation that they be recognized by solely their first identify as a consequence of considerations about security, referred to as Raichik’s posts a “terror marketing campaign” towards LGBTQ+ folks and their allies that had created a “hit record” of weak folks.
“What Chaya likes to do is create these incendiary posts, letting followers know, ‘That is your goal. That is the villain you need to go after,’” Sonja stated. “Then when issues get out of hand, she goes again and deletes her posts. She’s pointing folks towards Owasso, and issues have escalated since then.”
Alec, 19, who graduated from Owasso Excessive Faculty final 12 months, stated issues have grow to be so harmful in Oklahoma for LGBTQ+ youths that he has moved out of state. He spoke on the situation that he be recognized by a nickname for security causes.
“As an individual who was in these libraries and noticed these bans on books that really apply to my group, it was very scary seeing my state erasing the LGBTQ group as a complete, and saying that we’re pornographic and that we’re unacceptable and inappropriate for folks to only exist round and to study,” Alec stated. “We’re merely simply present.”
Of Raichik, he stated, “Seeing her villainize kids for present as queer people is disgusting. I believe it’s harmful.”
Nicole McAfee, govt director of Freedom Oklahoma, a nonprofit targeted on LGBTQ+ rights, stated even educators who don’t brazenly help queer and trans college students are nervous.
Libs of TikTok “is a platform that’s cited lots and lifted up by a whole lot of officers throughout the state,” McAfee stated. “From what we’ve heard from college students, it’s actually modified how different college students deal with them. College students who didn’t have any bother being brazenly trans or nonbinary earlier than at the moment are being bullied by class members who’re repeating rhetoric that they’re listening to from public officers within the state.”
Evan Powers, a trans pupil at Owasso Excessive Faculty, stated he carries a bulletproof backpack, together with books to make use of in self-defense. “I’m fairly actually scared to go to highschool each day,” stated Powers, 17, including: “I’ve been bullied by those who watch Libs of TikTok.”
The environment, he stated, makes it virtually inconceivable to get an schooling.
“I need to go to school. I need to study in regards to the world, and I would like to have the ability to have a secure area,” he stated. “However those who put up this stuff, it’s affecting simply having the ability to sit in a classroom, simply having the ability to sit in a chair and really feel secure.”
