Anti-LGBTQ+ Libs Of TikTok founder appointed to state library adviser role
Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik. (YouTube)
The founder of the notorious anti-LGBTQ+ account Libs of TikTok has been appointed as an adviser to Oklahoma’s state library committee.
Chaya Raichik, who was unveiled as the mind behind the far-right social media account, was named this week as the newest member of the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Library Media Advisory Committee.
Since 2021, Raichik, who is not a resident of Oklahoma, has been posting videos to through Libs of TikTok, making outrageous allegations against schools, teachers, libraries, and hospitals by accusing them of indoctrinating children to be LGBTQ+.
Investigations have suggested that some of the posts made by the social media account, which was previously listed by the ADL as an extemist organisation, have resulted in bomb threats at various school districts, hospitals, and businesses.
Last year, Vice uncovered that at least 11 schools or school districts that had been featured on Libs of TikTok had received bomb threats less than one week later. In some instances, the schools that faced bomb threats after being posted by Libs of TikTok were based in Oklahoma.
Just one day after a librarian in a school district just outside of Tulsa was targetted by Libs of TikTok and accused of pushing a so-called “woke agenda” on students, the school was targetted with bomb threats, NBC News reports.
Still, State Superintendent Ryan Walters was overjoyed to appoint Raichik to Oklahoma’s library advisory committee, stating that the Libs of TikTok founder was “on the front lines showing the world exactly what the radical left is all about – lowering standards, porn in schools, and pushing woke indoctrination on our kids.”
He continued: “Because of her work, families across the country know just what is going ion in schools around the country.”
In a separate statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Walters said that he was “proud” to have Raichik on board.
“Her unique perspective is invaluable as part of my plan to make Oklahoma schools safer for kids and friendly to parents,” he wrote.
“Chaya has a much-needed and powerful voice aswell as a tremendous platform that will benefit Oklahoma students and their families.”
What is Libs of TikTok?
Libs of TikTok is a collection of social media accounts whose content incites right-wing hate mobs against individuals, professionals, or institutions that offer any sort of support towards LGBTQ+ minors.
Among those targetted was Boston Children’s Hospital, which was forced into lockdown in 2022 when it received an anonymous bomb threat shortly after Libs of TikTok posted misinformation about its provision of gender-affirming healthcare.
Raichik was named as the identity behind the social media accounts in 2022 by software developer Travis Brown, who tweeted at the time: “Pro-tip: if you want to run a viral moral panic account for the worst people on earth and stay anonymous, maybe start from scratch instead of doing whatever the f**k this is.”Unearthed tweets found on 16 April 2022 also found that Raichik had attended the 6 January US Capitol insurrection.
Her digital footprint also suggests a long-time online friendship with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s press secretary Christina Pushaw, who is connected to DeSantis’s hateful “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
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