@libsoftiktok | |
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![]() Libs of TikTok's Twitter avatar | |
Years active | April 2021 – present |
Website | Libs of TikTok on Twitter |
Libs of TikTok, also known by the handle @libsoftiktok, is a conservative Twitter account that reposts content created by liberals, leftists, and LGBT people on TikTok and on other social media platforms in a derogatory manner.[1][2] The account has over 1.3 million followers as of June 2022,[3] and has become influential among American conservatives.[1]
Libs of TikTok was originally the personal account of Chaya Raichik, who has continued to be the account's owner. Raichik remained anonymous until her identity was revealed in April 2022.[2][4] Raichik claims to run the account alone and full-time.[2][5]
Account history
Inception and original content
The account was created in November 2020 as a personal account with the handle @shaya69830552, and later @shaya_ray. Before becoming the Libs of TikTok account, Raichik downplayed the severity of COVID-19, promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 United States presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump through election fraud, and made posts showing that Raichik was present at the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Raichik criticized the law enforcement officers at the Capitol, tweeting "They were rubber bullets from law enforcement. 1 hit right next to me." Raichik also tweeted that she did not enter the Capitol building like "a few crazy people" had and called the breach "mostly peaceful." Raichik later downplayed the attack, claiming it was peaceful compared to a "BLM protest." The handle was later changed to @cuomomustgo, focusing on demanding the resignation of the then-Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. The account also promoted efforts to recall the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. By March 2021, the handle had changed to @houseplantpotus, a parody account tweeting as a houseplant in the White House of U.S. President Joe Biden. @houseplantpotus later became @libsoftiktok on April 19, 2021, promising to "help you find your daily dose of cringe."[4][6][7]
Media attention
In August 2021, podcaster Joe Rogan began promoting the account on The Joe Rogan Experience, leading to a large increase in followers. That same month, lawyer and Republican Party operative Grant Lally filed a trademark for Libs of TikTok as a "news reporter service."[4] The account has been promoted by Donald Trump Jr., by journalist Glenn Greenwald and by political commentators Tucker Carlson, Jesse Watters and Laura Ingraham; has been featured in the New York Post, The Federalist, The Post Millennial, Fox News and in other right-wing news outlets; and its posts have been retweeted by Meghan McCain.[4][6][8]
In April 2022, Seth Dillon, CEO of conservative Christian satire website The Babylon Bee, announced a partnership with Libs of TikTok.[6]
Elon Musk has liked one of Libs of TikTok's tweets.[7]
Prior to being revealed as the account creator, Raichik was interviewed anonymously on several occasions, during which she boasted that posts from the account led to the firings of several teachers. Raichik encouraged followers to join local school boards in order to remove teachers who teach about gender and sexuality.[4]
Identity revelation
The account's creator endeavored to stay anonymous, appearing in newspaper and television interviews under the condition of anonymity.[4] However, in April 2022, details began to surface about Libs of TikTok's identity. Software developer Travis Brown researched the history of the Libs of TikTok account and named Chaya Raichik as the account's creator.[4]
On April 19, 2022, The Washington Post published an article by journalist Taylor Lorenz which further publicized the identity of Raichik, noting that she was an Orthodox Jew who worked in real estate. These details were scraped from early iterations of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account.[4] The online version of the article initially included a link to Raichik's real estate license, although this was later removed.[9]
The article was controversial, mostly with American conservatives, who accused Lorenz of doxxing, antisemitism for mentioning Raichik's religion, and hypocrisy for having previously spoken out against online harassment.[10][11][12] Raichik also accused Lorenz of doxxing and told the New York Post that she "will never be silenced".[13][14] According to The Times of London, "supporters of Lorenz meanwhile pointed out that Raichik's followers were only too enthusiastic about doxxing when it came to teachers being smeared as paedophiles."[1]
Some conservatives said Lorenz's visitation of the home of Raichik's relatives was harassment.[8] Journalists responded by noting that visitations are a standard part of the reporting procedure.[15][16]
Lorenz and The Washington Post have stood by the reporting[10] and Lorenz accused conservatives of trying to "sow doubt and discredit journalism".[17] Cameron Barr, a senior managing editor at The Washington Post, wrote in a statement that the Post "did not publish or link to any details about [Raichik's] personal life".[8] Some commentators, as well as Libs of TikTok, disputed this because the real estate license that the article initially linked to included an address.[9]
Libs of TikTok gained about 200,000 new Twitter followers in the day after the article was published.[18]
Account suspensions
Twitter has temporarily suspended Libs of TikTok twice.[4] On April 13, 2022, Libs of TikTok was suspended for promoting "violence, threats or harassment against others based on their sexual orientation or other factors such as race or gender."[6]
On May 27, Libs of TikTok was suspended by Instagram. That same day, the account suspension was reversed. A Meta spokesperson told The Daily Dot that "This account was automatically disabled following multiple copyright complaints" and that "We investigated further and found an issue following one of the complaints, so we restored the account."[19]
Libs of TikTok also had an account on TikTok itself, but it was suspended for violating TikTok's community guidelines.[4]
Removal of tweets, Proud Boys and Patriot Front incidents, and death threats
In April 2022, following the publication of The Washington Post's article on Libs of TikTok, Twitter user @deletedtweet161, who tracks deleted posts, said that Libs of TikTok deleted "at least 20 tweets" over several days. 2,795 tweets had been deleted since the creation of the account, with some tweets being deleted to get access to the account restored following a suspension from Twitter.[20][13]
In June 2022, Libs of TikTok had some of their tweets removed after they posted the locations of all ages drag shows in the United States. One location, in San Lorenzo, was stormed by a far-right extremist group, the Proud Boys.[21] Pride events in Dallas and Coeur d'Alene have also been targeted by right-wing extremists after Libs of TikTok posted about them, with 31 Patriot Front members being arrested, before getting to their destination, for planning a riot in the Coeur d'Alene event.[22][23] Raichik was reportedly encouraged to post about the Coeur d'Alene event by Dave Reilly, a local white nationalist known for participating in the 2017 Unite the Right rally.[24]
On June 13, Raichik tweeted that she had "received about a dozen death threats", including threats from people threatening to throw a pipe bomb into her house. However, one of the death threats was sent by a user who claimed that they sent the threat as a joke to satirize similar messages that Libs of TikTok received.[25][26] Glenn Greenwald and Elon Musk specifically condemned death threats against Libs of TikTok, with Musk adding that "A platform cannot be considered inclusive or fair if it is biased against half the country".[25][26]
On June 30, in Woodland, California, an alleged Proud Boys group tried to break into a bar that was about to host a drag event, as they yelled anti-LGBT insults. Days before, Libs of TikTok made a tweet about the upcoming event.[27]
Content
The account's early content focused on reposts of videos by ostensible progressives about Anthony Fauci and vaccinations that it deemed cringeworthy.[7]
Libs of TikTok promotes conservatism and anti-LGBT rhetoric. It has referred to schools as "government run indoctrination camps" for the LGBT community.[4][1] It has encouraged followers to contact schools that allowed transgender students to use bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity.[1][2][4]
Libs of TikTok has also said that adults teaching children about LGBT identities is abusive and constitutes child grooming.[4][6] In since-deleted tweets, the account specifically accused Chasten Buttigieg and The Trevor Project organization of grooming.[20][13][28] The account argued in another since-deleted tweet that any teacher who comes out as gay to their students should be fired.[6] The account has claimed that being gender non-conforming or being an ally of the LGBT community is a "mental illness", and deliberately misgendered transgender people.[2][4]
The account has been criticized for spreading some hoaxes, such as a false claim that schools were putting litter boxes in bathrooms for students that identified as cats, and a false claim that students in a second-grade class in Austin, Texas were being taught about furries.[4][29][28]
Libs of TikTok has denied systemic racism.[7] Reporting by Slate stated that "Raichik's feed is colored by an intense hostility to liberals generally, but she holds an especially pronounced animosity toward LGBTQ people, city dwellers, and Black people who have been killed at the hands of police," noting her mockery of the killing of Ma'Khia Bryant.[7]
The most popular video posted on Libs of TikTok, with 5.7 million views, was taken by a female student of color at Arizona State University and shows her and her friend repeatedly asking a white male student to leave a multicultural center due to a "Police Lives Matter" sticker on his laptop.[7][30] After the video went viral, ASU investigated and then reprimanded the two female students.[7][30]
After gaining popularity on Twitter, Libs of TikTok has since expanded to additional social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Rumble, Gab, and Gettr.[4][6]
Impact
Impact on teachers
After Libs of TikTok reposted videos of LGBT people or their supporters, some of her followers sent harassment and death threats to those people, who are usually teachers.[6]
On December 23, 2021, an 8th grade English teacher in Owasso, Oklahoma posted a video to TikTok about supporting LGBT students, in which he stated, "If your parents don't accept you for who you are, fuck them. I'm your parents now. I’m proud of you. Drink some water. I love you".[6] In April 2022, Libs of TikTok posted the video, and the clip went viral.[6] The teacher received death threats and other online harassment as a result, and resigned soon thereafter.[31][32] Libs of TikTok later made a post claiming, without evidence, that the teacher was fired "after complaints of grooming."[6] Some parents defended the teacher, saying that he provided a "safe haven" for LGBT students. Other parents said that some of the teacher's TikToks were inappropriate.[6][32] Oklahoma Republican Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer accused the teacher of being a "predator".[6][32] As of May 9, 2022, the repost has more than 460,000 views.[6]
A teacher in California was placed on administrative leave after a video she posted joking about asking her students to pledge allegiance to a Pride flag was reposted by Libs of TikTok on August 27, 2021.[33] After conservative and far-right accounts attacked her on social media, she deleted all of her social media accounts.[33]
On November 16, 2021, Dr. Allyn Walker, an assistant professor at Old Dominion University, was placed on administrative leave after an interview in which Walker argued that pedophilia should be destigmatized was posted on the Libs of TikTok account and went viral.[34] On November 24, Walker resigned from their position.[35]
On March 9, 2022, Libs of TikTok posted a screenshot from a TikTok made by an Indiana teacher who said that she allows the students who participate in her school's Gay-Straight Alliance club (which she leads) to tell their parents that it is a study group instead. Libs of TikTok tagged the teacher's school district in the post, and said that, "We have seen multiple examples already of teachers grooming kids in a GSA club behind parents' backs." The teacher later deleted her TikTok account.[6]
On April 13, 2022, Libs of TikTok reposted a TikTok of a woman explaining why she supports teachers who educate their students about "sexual orientation and gender identity" without parental consent. Libs of TikTok also said that, "This is what the left really thinks", and that, "They want to take your kids to groom and indoctrinate them behind your back." After Libs of TikTok's followers sent harassment to the woman, she uploaded a new TikTok on April 14 in which she said that "bigots" accused her of child sexual abuse "because they thought I was a teacher who thought it's OK to teach kids it's OK to be gay." As of May 9, 2022, the TikTok had more than 500,000 views.[6]
A transgender teacher in Los Angeles received death threats and insults after a video they posted denouncing the Parental Rights in Education bill was reposted by Libs of TikTok.[36]
According to Euronews, "some of the people targeted by [Libs of TikTok] have received hundreds or even thousands of hate comments".[36] According to a report by the left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters for America, the account has named or tagged around 222 educational institutions and teachers in 2022 as of April 28.[6][37][36]
On a conservative podcast, Raichik stated, "It's not easy to be the one responsible for that, for someone losing their job. On the other hand, I mean these people, some of them are literally evil, and they are grooming kids."[11]
Political impact
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's press secretary Christina Pushaw credited the account for "opening her eyes" on the current state of education around sexuality- and LGBT-related topics.[4] Pushaw has interacted with the Libs of TikTok account more than 100 times since July 16, 2021.[6] Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has credited Libs of TikTok, and Pushaw's championing of it, as partly responsible for Florida's passage of the 2022 Parental Rights in Education bill (often referred to by critics as the "Don't Say Gay bill"), which prohibits instruction on sexuality and gender identity in age-inappropriate ways from kindergarten to third grade in public schools.[38]
Other
Drag queens and drag events organizers said that they received harassment and threats after tweets from Libs of TikTok about them and their work.[22]
Reception
According to News18, Libs of TikTok "has received support from far-right, conservative and even some liberal commentators.", while "left-leaning [people] and progressives [have] questioned the real intent of the account." News18 also noted "people on the far-left [who] have called for the account owner's death and have threatened her online".[25]
Response to account content
According to The Jerusalem Post, some "characterize Libs of TikTok as a project that farms political outrage, especially against LGBTQ+ people, by posting videos with incendiary framing", while others "claim that all she does is curate and repost content that highlights American left-wing extremism and policies."[39]
Gillian Branstetter, a media strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that Libs of TikTok "is finding new characters for right-wing propaganda," and that "it's relying on the endless stream of content from TikTok and the Internet to cast any individual trans person as a new villain in their story." Ari Drennen, the LGBTQ program director for the left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters for America, argued that "Libs of TikTok is basically acting as a wire service for the broader right-wing media ecosystem," adding that the account has "been shaping public policy in a real way, and affecting teachers' ability to feel safe in their classrooms".[4] According to Drennen, she received more than 500 hateful comments about her sexuality and appearance after criticizing Libs of TikTok.[40] Christopher Wiggins of The Advocate argued that "LibsOfTikTok is voice in an overall climate of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric that some correlate to an increase of anti-LGBTQ+ incidents."[18]
Bethany Mandel, writing in the Deseret News, argued that Libs of TikTok "showcase[s] the ideology and agenda of the far left in their own words."[41] Brendan O'Neill of Spiked argued that "There are some who would prefer to keep the woke indoctrination of the young, so giddily facilitated by Silicon Valley, shrouded from external concern and criticism. It is they who are in the wrong, not Libs of TikTok."[42]
Response to identity reveal
Bonnie Kristian of The Week argued, "The person behind Libs of TikTok doesn't matter much...because conspiracism is communal now", adding that "Lorenz's exposé largely missed the point."[43] Kat Rosenfield of UnHerd called The Washington Post article "an unmasking worthy of a demented superhero story", adding that "It's hard to know what Libs of TikTok’s greater sin is: being wrong, or being popular."[44]
Kara Alaimo, a Hofstra University professor and former Obama administration staffer writing for NBC News, dismissed criticism regarding identifying the individual running the account, arguing in a NBC News opinion piece that "The people in need of protection here are those who are being targeted with hate simply because of their identities — not the people who are hurling the abuse, like Raichik."[45] Kaitlyn Tiffany of The Atlantic argued that "where the term once defined a category, it now expresses an emotion. Whoever feels doxxed will claim to have been doxxed."[14]
The right-wing NGO StopAntisemitism.org criticized Lorenz for mentioning Raichik's religious identity as an Orthodox Jew, arguing that mentioning her religion was unnecessary.[39] Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor in chief of The Jewish Week, defended the inclusion of her religious beliefs in a blog for The Times of Israel, arguing that it "shed light on the growing connection between faith and right-wing politics".[46]
Other responses
Another Orthodox Jew named Chaya Raichik, a stay-at-home mom who grew up in Los Angeles, received hundreds of negative messages from people who mistook her for the person behind Libs of TikTok.[5]
YouTuber Tim Pool and The Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing purchased a billboard in Times Square to accuse Lorenz of doxxing. In response, Lorenz called the billboard "so idiotic it's hilarious".[47]
References
- ^ a b c d e Tomlinson, Hugh (April 22, 2022). "Libs of Tiktok: Twitter provocateur gives Republicans new weapon in war on liberals". The Times. London. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Goforth, Claire (April 18, 2022). "Libs of TikTok—the influential, mystery Twitter account hailed by mainstream conservatives—attended Jan. 6 Capitol protest". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ "Libs of TikTok". Social Blade. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Lorenz, Taylor (April 19, 2022). "Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right's outrage machine". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Keene, Louis (April 21, 2022). "Mistaken for a right-wing media star, she met a cyberbullying mob". The Forward. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Persaud, Chris (May 10, 2022). "Babylon Bee CEO of Juno Beach backs Twitter firebrand who calls LGBTQ people pedophiles". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stahl, Jeremy (April 27, 2022). "The Hate-Fueled and Hugely Influential World of Libs of TikTok". Slate. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c Halpert, Madeline (April 19, 2022). "Right-Wing Figures Attack Journalist Taylor Lorenz For Revealing Creator Of 'Libs Of TikTok'". Forbes. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Leeman, Zachary (April 20, 2022). "Washington Post Called Out For False Claim in Statement Defending Taylor Lorenz Report". Mediaite.
- ^ a b Mastrangelo, Dominic (April 19, 2022). "Washington Post defends Taylor Lorenz reporting after story on 'Libs of TikTok' Twitter account". The Hill. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Kampeas, Ron (April 21, 2022). "Twitter activist behind far-right 'Libs of TikTok' revealed to be US Orthodox Jew". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ Quay, Grayson (April 19, 2022). "Conservatives complain of 'doxxing' after exposé reveals woman behind 'Libs of TikTok' account". The Week. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c Tracer, Dan (April 20, 2022). "'Libs of TikTok' deletes thousands of tweets after owner is exposed, but the Internet remembers forever". Queerty.
- ^ a b Tiffany, Kaitlyn (April 22, 2022). "'Doxxing' Means Whatever You Want It To". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ Jones, Tom (April 21, 2022). "The Taylor Lorenz controversy should not be a controversy at all". Poynter. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ Halpert, Madeline (April 19, 2022). "Right-Wing Figures Attack Journalist Taylor Lorenz For Revealing Creator Of 'Libs Of TikTok'". Forbes. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ Stelter, Brian (April 21, 2022). "Taylor Lorenz discusses 'Libs of TikTok' and her reporting practices". Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter (Podcast). CNN. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Wiggins, Christopher (April 20, 2022). "Anti-LGBTQ+ 'Libs of TikTok' Exposed, Conservatives Are Extremely Mad". The Advocate. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ Covucci, David (May 27, 2022). "Libs of TikTok suspended from Instagram, sparking outrage from its fans". The Daily Dot. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ a b Goforth, Claire (April 20, 2022). "Libs of TikTok's deleted tweet accusing anti-teen suicide organization of 'grooming' resurfaces". The Daily Dot.
- ^ Bartlett, Amanda (June 12, 2022). "Alleged Proud Boys storm Bay Area Drag Queen Story Hour at library". SFGATE. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Perrett, Connor (June 14, 2022). "Drag shows are the latest battleground in the right wing anti-gay disinformation campaign about 'grooming'". Business Insider.
- ^ Collins, Ben; Madani, Doha (June 17, 2022). "Anti-LGBTQ threats, fueled by internet's far right 'machine,' shut down trans rights and drag events". NBC News.
- ^ Mathias, Christopher (June 18, 2022). "The Far-Right's Assault On An Idaho Pride Event Was Meticulously Planned". The Huffington Post.
- ^ a b c Sarkar, Shankhyaneel (June 14, 2022). "Libs Of TikTok Receives Death, Bomb Threats, Alleges Twitter Staff Discussed Deplatforming Her". News18. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Smith, Adam (June 14, 2022). "Elon Musk claims Twitter is 'biased against half of the country'". The Independent. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Becca Habegger (July 1, 2022). "'We will not tolerate hate' | Woodland Police Chief addresses criticism of department's response to protesters outside drag event". ABC10.
- ^ a b Binder, Matt (April 26, 2022). "Libs of TikTok tweeted fake accusations about a school teaching second graders about furries". Mashable. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ Evon, Dan (April 27, 2022). "The 'Otherkin Policy' at Kokomo High School Is Satire". Snopes.com. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Campbell, Anna (November 19, 2021). "ASU Investigation Finds Two MSC Members Violated Code of Conduct in Multicultural Space Confrontation'". The State Press.
- ^ Wakefield, Lily (April 20, 2022). "Teacher targeted by Libs of TikTok sent death threats and lost his job". PinkNews. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c Martin, Scott (April 14, 2022). "Parents divided after former Owasso teacher resigns following viral TikTok videos". KOKI-TV. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Parsons, Vic (August 31, 2021). "Teacher who joked about students pledging allegiance to Pride flag 'removed from classroom'". PinkNews. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Vallejo, Justin (November 18, 2021). "Professor placed on leave after saying paedophiles should be destigmatised". The Independent. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- ^ Asbury, Nicole (November 24, 2021). "ODU professor steps down after firestorm over research into 'minor-attracted people'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- ^ a b c Berjikian, Katherine (May 2, 2022). "'Libs of Tiktok': Twitter account is targeting LGBTQ+ teachers in the U.S." Euronews. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ Richardson, Jackie (May 2, 2022). "Libs of TikTok is continuing to declare war on the LGBTQ2S+ community". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ Carlson, Tucker (April 19, 2022). "Tucker: Libs of TikTok oust campaign was designed to shut down a highly effective Twitter feed". Fox News.
- ^ a b Starr, Michael (April 21, 2022). "US Right, Left clash on orthodox Jewish activist's 'doxxing'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ "Libs of TikTok account has resurrected decades-long LGBTQ conspiracies, says writer". CBC Radio. April 22, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ Mandel, Bethany (April 21, 2022). "Perspective: The story that's not being told about the 'Libs of TikTok'". Deseret News. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ O'Neill, Brendan (April 20, 2022). "Why they loathe Libs of TikTok". Spiked. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Kristian, Bonnie (April 19, 2022). "Out with Alex Jones-style conspiracy theorizing. In with Libs of TikTok". The Week. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Rosenfield, Kat (April 21, 2022). "Why Libs of TikTok terrifies the media". UnHerd. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Alaimo, Kara (April 21, 2022). "There's a proper term for what happened to the 'Libs of TikTok' creator. It's not 'doxxing.'". NBC News.
- ^ Silow-Carroll, Andrew (April 25, 2022). "Why the 'Libs of TikTok' founder's Jewish identity was fair game". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ Allsop, Jon (April 27, 2022). "Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, and the doomed transatlantic culture wars". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved April 28, 2022.