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TIMELINE: The impact of Libs of TikTok told through the educators, health care providers, librarians, LGBTQ people, and institutions that have been harassed and violently threatened | Media Matters for America

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A REUTERS SPECIAL REPORT

The Charlie Kirk purge: How 600 Americans were punished in a pro-Trump crackdown

Two months after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a government-backed campaign has led to firings, suspensions, investigations and other action against more than 600 people. Republican officials have endorsed the punishments, saying that those who glorify violence should be removed from positions of trust.

By Raphael Satter and A.J. Vicens

:{November 19, 2025

Illustration: John Emerson, photo: REUTERS/Go Nakamura

When Lauren Vaughn, a kindergarten assistant in South Carolina, saw reports that right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk had been shot at an event in Utah, she opened Facebook and typed out a quote from Kirk himself.

Gun deaths, Kirk said in 2023, were unfortunate but “worth it” if they preserved “the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given Rights.” Following the quote, Vaughn added: “Thoughts and prayers.”

Vaughn, a 37-year-old Christian who has taken missionary trips to Guatemala, said her call for prayer was sincere. She said she hoped reading Kirk’s words in the context of the shooting might prompt her friends to rethink their opposition to gun control.

“Maybe now they’ll listen,” she recalled thinking.

Social media post by Lauren Vaughn quoting Charlie Kirk

A few days later, Vaughn lost her job. She was one of more than 600 Americans fired, suspended, placed under investigation or disciplined by employers for comments about Kirk’s September 10 assassination, according to a Reuters review of court records, public statements, local media reports and interviews with two dozen people who were fired or otherwise disciplined.

Some were dismissed after celebrating or mocking Kirk’s death. At least 15 people were punished for allegedly invoking “karma” or “divine justice,” and at least nine others were disciplined for variations on “Good riddance.” Other offending posts appeared to exult in the killing or express hope that other Republican figures would be next. “One down, plenty to go,” one said.

Lauren Vaughn, a teacher assistant in South Carolina, was fired after she posted on social media a quote from Charlie Kirk about gun violence. REUTERS/Allison Joyce

Others, like Vaughn, say they simply criticized Kirk’s politics.

In the pro-Kirk camp, at least one academic was put on administrative leave after threatening to “hunt down” those celebrating the assassination.

This account is the most comprehensive to date of the backlash against Kirk’s critics, tracing how senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration, local Republican lawmakers and allied influencers mobilized to enforce the Trump movement’s views. The story maps the pro-Trump machinery of retaliation now reshaping American political life, detailing its scale and tactics, ranging from shaming on social media to public pressure on employers and threats to defund institutions. Earlier reports by Reuters have documented how Trump has purged the federal government of employees deemed opponents of his agenda and cracked down on law firms defending people in the administration’s crosshairs.

Americans sometimes lose their jobs after speaking out in heated political moments. Twenty-two academics were dismissed in 2020, the year George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, most for comments deemed insensitive, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free-speech advocacy group. In 2024, the first full year following the outbreak of the latest Israel-Gaza war, more than 160 people were fired in connection with their pro-Palestinian advocacy, according to Palestine Legal, an organization that protects the civil rights of American supporters of the Palestinian cause.

The backlash over comments about Kirk’s shooting stands apart because of its reach and its public backing from Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other top government officials. It represents a striking about-face for Republicans, who for years castigated the left for what they called “cancel culture” – the ostracism or punishment of those whose views were deemed unacceptable.

Supporters of the firings say that freedom of speech is not freedom from consequence. Standards of behavior should be high for people like doctors, lawyers, teachers or emergency workers who are in positions of public trust, they said.

In a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “President Trump and the entire Administration will not hesitate to speak the truth – for years, radical leftists have slandered their political opponents as Nazis and Fascists, inspiring left-wing violence. It must end.” She added: “no one understands the dangers of political violence more than President Trump” after he survived two assassination attempts.

Trump compared Kirk to assassinated civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. when posthumously awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. REUTERS/Cheney Orr

Turning Point USA, the youth movement Kirk founded in 2012, said in a statement that it supported the right to free speech, “including that of private employers to determine when a bright line has been crossed and an employee deserves to be terminated.” The organization, however, cautioned that while celebrating or gloating over Kirk’s death was “evil and disqualifying behavior, respectfully disagreeing with his ideas, statements, or values is every American’s right.”

Vaughn is challenging her dismissal in a federal lawsuit filed September 18, seeking reinstatement. As part of the case, she submitted a letter she received from the Spartanburg County School District superintendent that described her remarks as “inflammatory, unprofessional, and inappropriate.” Responding to the lawsuit, the district said Vaughn’s post “appeared to endorse Mr. Kirk’s murder or indicate that it was ‘worth’ him losing his life to protect Americans’ constitutional rights.”

The district declined further comment.

The punishments have often been driven by social media campaigns that circulate screenshots of the offending remarks, along with the names and phone numbers of employers, and appeals such as, “Internet, do your thing.” What typically follows are hundreds of angry or threatening messages, Reuters found. Several individuals who were targeted said in interviews they were inundated with phone calls. One recalled receiving a call every minute for an entire day. At least two said the harassment was so intense they plan to sell their homes.

Julie Strebe, a sheriff’s deputy in Salem, Missouri, lost her job after posting comments on Facebook about the shooting, including “Empathy is not owed to oppressors.” She later said she viewed Kirk as an oppressor because, in her words, he sought to marginalize vulnerable groups and used his platform to rally conservative white Christians behind “racist, sexist, hateful views.” She said her bosses were besieged with calls for her dismissal and that, at one point, a hand-drawn sign appeared across from her home reading, “Julie Strebe Supports the Assassination of Charles Kirk.”

Message posted outside Julie Strebe’s house. Handout via REUTERS

Strebe said she installed five surveillance cameras at her home and now fuels her car only at night to avoid neighbors. Moving from Salem would mean leaving extended family, but she said the small city has grown too hostile to stay. “I just don’t feel like I could ever let my guard down,” she said in an interview. Strebe’s former employer, the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, declined to comment.

Many Republican officials have embraced the punitive campaign. Some have proposed extraordinary measures, including lifetime bans from social media for those deemed to be revelling in Kirk’s death. The U.S. State Department revoked visas for six foreigners who the agency said “celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.” Speaking on a special episode of Kirk’s podcast on September 15, Vice President JD Vance urged his listeners to inflict consequences on those celebrating Kirk’s death.

“Call them out, and, hell, call their employer,” Vance said. Vance’s office pointed Reuters to comments made earlier this year in which the vice president said, “where I draw the line is encouraging violence against political opponents.”

Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of 'The Charlie Kirk Show' at the White House, following the assassination of the show's namesake. Doug Mills/The New York Times/Pool via REUTERS

Call them out, and, hell, call their employer.

Vice President JD Vance

Some academics compared the backlash to the “Red Scare,” the anti-Communist purge that peaked in the 1950s, when officials, labor leaders and Hollywood figures were accused of Communist ties. Thousands were investigated in a climate of fear that shaped U.S. politics and culture for a generation. There are “very disturbing parallels,” said Landon Storrs, a University of Iowa history professor.

Several prominent Republicans have voiced unease at the clampdown, especially after the Federal Communications Commission openly pressured broadcaster ABC to suspend talk show host Jimmy Kimmel following a monologue in which he suggested that Kirk’s assassin hailed from the political right. Police haven’t fully detailed the findings of their investigation into suspect Tyler Robinson and his motives. Robinson hasn’t entered a plea to the murder and other charges against him.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz warned on his podcast that letting government decide “what speech we like and what we don’t” sets a dangerous precedent. Silencing voices like Kimmel’s might feel good, he said, but “when it’s used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it.” His spokesperson declined further comment.

Screen capture of Jimmy Kimmel after returning to television on September 23, 2025

‘MASSIVE PURGE OF THESE EVIL PSYCHOS’

The campaign to punish Kirk’s critics began almost immediately.

About 30 minutes after Trump’s announcement that Kirk had died, right-wing influencers mobilized. Among the first was Chaya Raichik, operator of the widely followed Libs of TikTok account, which had posted on X, “THIS IS WAR,” before highlighting a Massachusetts teacher who had written: “Just a reminder, We’re NOT offering sympathy.”

By night’s end, Libs of TikTok had published or reposted the professional details of 37 individuals, often accompanied by commentary such as “absolutely vile,” “Your tax dollars pay her salary,” or “Would you want him teaching your kids?”

“It’s actually terrifying how many of them are teachers, doctors and military members,” Libs of TikTok wrote the next day. “We need a massive purge of these evil psychos who want to kiII all of us for simply having opposing political views.”

In the week after the shooting, Libs of TikTok shared the names and profiles of at least 134 people accused of celebrating violence or mocking Kirk’s memory, frequently tagging Trump administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi. At times, the influencer posted disciplinary actions taken against specific government employees.

Screenshot of the Libs of TikTok X account on September 10, 2025

“BREAKING: This marine was fired,” Libs of TikTok posted on September 12, a day after calling out a Marine Corps captain. The officer had responded to Kirk’s death by posting an emoji of clinking beer mugs, according to a screenshot the influencer shared with followers. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the beer-mug post; the captain declined to comment. Libs of TikTok also reported similar disciplinary actions involving an Army Reserve officer and an Army colonel who had commented on the death on social media.

The Pentagon and the Justice Department issued statements condemning celebrations of Kirk’s death but did not address questions about their relationship with Libs of TikTok.

Right-wing influencer Scott Presler began posting screenshots of Kirk commentary, too.

“Take a screenshot of EVERY single person celebrating today,” he told his followers on September 10. “You bet your behind we will make them infamous.” Over the next week, Presler shared posts on X about 70 people who had commented on the killing, and wrote in one message: “Almost every person we’ve posted about – who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination – has been fired.” Presler didn’t respond to requests for comment.

For many on the right, outraged by celebratory reactions from the left, the wave of firings became a form of catharsis.

“It’s good that they are shamed and humiliated and must live with the repercussions for the rest of their lives,” right-wing podcaster Matt Walsh told his audience as he discussed the firings. “It’s good if they wake up every day until they die wishing they had not said what they said.” Asked for comment, Walsh emailed back: “f**k off.”

On YouTube, video blogger and recovery coach as he read aloud names of those who had lost their jobs over their remarks.

Screen capture of JD Delay on YouTube

“I’m having fun! This is so much fun!” he shouted, raising his hands in excitement. Delay told Reuters that he believes in “accountability and consequences” and that “if you publicly say abhorrent things and get fired from your job, I’m going to laugh at you.”

The punishment campaign sometimes veered off course. In at least five cases, people were wrongly blamed for comments made by others. In another case, a website that drew up a blacklist called “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” vanished after taking in tens of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency donations. Attempts to identify and seek comment from the site’s creators were unsuccessful.

Several online influencers said they received hundreds – sometimes thousands – of tips from individuals seeking to get Kirk’s detractors fired. Reuters was unable to verify those figures. But at various points, Presler, Libs of TikTok and other right-wing personalities publicly urged tipsters to be patient as they worked through the volume of submissions.

“Can’t keep up with all of you,” Presler wrote on X on September 12. “Post your submissions below & I’ll go through them as I can.”

A day later, the post had drawn more than 2,700 replies.

Scott Presler (R) shared posts on X about dozens of people who had commented on Kirk's killing. REUTERS/Leah Millis

The tally of more than 600 people punished for criticizing Kirk is likely an undercount. Many companies and government organizations haven’t publicly disclosed terminations or suspensions.

Those punished came from at least 45 states and represented a cross-section of society, from soldiers and pilots to doctors, nurses and police officers.

In Michigan, an Office Depot employee was fired after being filmed refusing to print a poster memorializing Kirk. In Ohio, a Starbucks barista lost her job after she was accused of writing an anti-Kirk message on a cup of mint tea.

Reuters couldn’t determine the identities of the Office Depot worker or the barista. Office Depot and Kroger – the grocery store chain that runs the Ohio Starbucks – condemned the anti-Kirk incidents and said the people involved were no longer employees.

Requests to 21 federal agencies – including Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department – for the number of suspensions or dismissals tied to the Kirk assassination were either ignored or declined. When the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was contacted, its deputy chief of staff responded on social media, accusing Reuters of trying to generate sympathy “for the ghouls who celebrate his death.”

EDUCATORS AMONG THE MAIN TARGETS

Teachers, academics and university administrators were among those most frequently punished for criticizing Kirk. More than 350 education workers were fired, suspended or investigated in the days following the assassination, including 50 academics and senior university administrators, three high school principals, two cheerleading coaches and a theology instructor.

The prominence of educators in the backlash may stem from several factors. As leaders tasked with shaping young minds, teachers have long been cast by some conservatives as ideologues who aim to pull their students left. Their status as taxpayer-funded employees made any perceived partisan commentary especially combustible.

Screen capture of a threatening message received by an individual who posted comments about Kirk’s death. Photos and names pixelated by Reuters.

Additional menacing messages received by the individual. Photo and offensive language pixelated by Reuters.

In interviews and public statements, at least six teachers cited another reason for speaking out: concern over the frequency of gun violence at schools nationwide – and anger at those, like Kirk, who have championed widespread access to firearms.

Vaughn, the South Carolina kindergarten assistant, said that was front of mind when she went to Facebook to quote Kirk’s 2023 remark dismissing some fatal shootings as the price to pay to protect gun rights. Like other teachers across the country, she said she regularly practiced active-shooter drills at her elementary school and saw fear on her five-year-olds’ faces as they learned how to hide from a gunman.

As she defended her post on the day of Kirk’s death, she told a Facebook friend that she felt “no satisfaction” at the assassination. “Just heartbreak for everyone and anyone affected by gun violence and the hope that one day, enough will be enough.” Speaking to Reuters later, she said, “The one thing I want people to know is that my message was out of concern for the kids.”

Related Content

Many educators did celebrate Kirk’s death, including a Virginia teacher who wrote, “I hope he suffered through all of it,” and a Texas middle school intern who said the shooting “made me giggle.” Screenshots of both posts were circulated by right-wing influencers. Reuters could not locate the original posts, which may have been deleted or made private. The Virginia teacher was suspended and the Texas intern was fired. Neither could be reached for comment.

While schools that suspended or fired educators cited disruptions to the learning environment, some private employers pointed to a violation of company values or safety concerns as the basis for terminations. Corporations caught up in the backlash gave a variety of explanations: Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement some employees’ comments were in “stark contrast” to the company’s values and violated its social media policy, while a United Airlines statement said the company had “zero tolerance for politically motivated violence or any attempt to justify it.”

At least a dozen Kirk critics who took pains to condemn the shooting also found themselves out of jobs or suspended, sometimes after Republican lawmakers got involved.

In the wake of Kirk’s death, Joshua Bregy, a climate scientist at Clemson University in South Carolina, shared another user’s Facebook post that read, in part: “No one should be gunned down – not a school child, not an influencer, not a politician – no one. But am I going to allow people to make a martyr out of a flawed human being whose rhetoric caused notable damage? Not a chance.”

The Clemson College Republicans reposted part of his message, labeling him “ANOTHER leftist professor” and calling for his termination. The post was amplified by right-wing influencers and Republican state lawmakers who threatened to defund the public university unless Bregy was fired.

Clemson initially pledged in a September 12 statement to “stand firmly on the principles of the U.S. Constitution, including the protection of free speech.”

The next day, Trump himself reposted a state lawmaker’s call to “Defund Clemson.” On September 16, after South Carolina’s House speaker and Senate president sent a letter to Clemson’s trustees demanding they “take immediate and appropriate action,” the school fired Bregy. Bregy’s Facebook post was “blatantly unprofessional” and “seriously prejudicial to the university,” Clemson said in a letter informing Bregy he had been dismissed.

Screen captures of social media posts urging Clemson University to fire Josh Bregy

Bregy is suing Clemson in a South Carolina federal court in a bid to be reinstated. His lawyer, Allen Chaney, said the academic would have kept his job “but for the really aggressive, coercive tactics of elected officials in South Carolina.”

Clemson, State House Speaker Murrell Smith and Senate President Thomas Alexander did not respond to requests for comment. Clemson has yet to file a response to Bregy’s suit.

In at least six other cases, Republican officials publicly threatened to deprive universities and schools of taxpayer funds unless specific critics of Kirk were fired.

Chaney, who serves as legal director of the South Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the threats to defund Clemson and others crossed a constitutional line. “The government can’t police speech by pressuring third parties,” he said. Last year, the Supreme Court unanimously held that government officials cannot use their authority to “attempt to coerce” private parties into punishing or suppressing speech they dislike.

The threats to defund schools that resist firing Kirk’s critics were “stunning,” said Paul McGreal, a constitutional law professor at Creighton University Law School in Nebraska. “Government officials are threatening speakers with punishment because they disagree with what they’re saying. These are core First Amendment protections that they’re violating.”

KIRK PRAISED AS CHRIST’S ‘13TH DISCIPLE’

Since Kirk’s assassination, many Republicans have cast him as a saintly champion of free expression. Evangelical figures have likened him to Saint Stephen, revered as Christianity’s first martyr. One Republican lawmaker told Congress “he’d have been the 13th disciple” had he lived in Biblical times. Trump compared Kirk to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, slain President Abraham Lincoln and assassinated civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. when posthumously awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Kirk’s legacy is complicated, however. He gained fame for debating college students as part of his work with Turning Point. Kirk also advocated criminalizing expression – such as pornography – that clashed with his Christian views. When Black football players started kneeling during the national anthem in protest at police brutality, he backed Trump’s call to strip the National Football League of taxpayer subsidies. The White House later said Trump was making a statement, not a proposal.

Kirk repeatedly denigrated minorities, calling transgender people an “abomination,” warning of “prowling Blacks” in cities, accusing wealthy Jews of stoking “hatred against Whites,” and declaring Islam incompatible with Western civilization. He also dismissed Pope Francis as a Marxist.

Some of those who spoke out against Kirk after his death said they were disturbed by the hagiography.

Kimberly Hunt, a human resources worker in Arizona, was fired after posting a critical video message about Kirk. REUTERS/Caitlin O'Hara

“I just felt compelled to remind people who he was and what he stood for,” Kimberly Hunt, a human resources worker in Arizona, said in an interview. She had posted a video captioned, “Save your tears for his victims, not him.”

In the video, Hunt cited Kirk’s record of using derogatory language about transgender people and Muslims, before adding that his children “are better off without him.” Hunt was fired soon after. Her employer, an Arizona construction firm, did not respond to requests for comment.

Hunt told Reuters she understood her words sounded harsh but stood by them. She said they reflected Kirk’s stance in a debate last year that if he had a 10-year-old daughter who was impregnated through rape, “the baby would be delivered.”

The retaliation has silenced many voices. Scores of people who posted anti-Kirk comments have since scrubbed or locked their accounts, Reuters found. Others said in interviews that they are pushing back.

Hunt said she has raised more than $88,000 from a GoFundMe campaign titled, “Doxxed, Fired, but Not Silenced.” She said she wants to use the money to further her education, become a content creator, and keep calling out people like Kirk.

“It’s definitely just emboldened me,” she said.

Screenshot of a threatening message Kimberly Hunt received on Facebook. Photo and offensive language pixelated by Reuters.

At least 19 lawsuits have been filed against employers who punished Kirk critics, state and federal court records show. At least two plaintiffs have succeeded, including an academic in South Dakota who got his teaching job back.

Karen Leader, an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University, took to social media after Kirk’s death to protest a narrative that he “was a shining inspiration to youth and a noncontroversial figure who just wanted to have open and civil dialogue,” she said. “Anyone who’s in higher education knows that it’s not that simple.”

She noted that Turning Point rose to prominence through its Professor Watchlist, a site that encouraged students to report faculty for allegedly holding “radical left” views or being a “terror supporter.”

Kirk had described the Watchlist as an awareness tool, not a blacklist. Those on it have said in interviews, social media posts and public forums that it fostered harassment and intimidation. In 2023, a Turning Point reporter was accused of assaulting an Arizona professor who was on the watchlist after confronting him on camera about his sexuality and shoving him to the ground. The reporter admitted to harassment, assault and disorderly conduct and was ordered to complete a diversion program. A Turning Point cameraman admitted to harassment in the case.

Karen Leader, an associate professor of art history at Florida Atlantic University, was placed on administrative leave after she posted about Kirk on social media. REUTERS/Marco Bello

On September 10, Leader began posting Kirk’s past statements on X. She said she made a mistake by incorrectly accusing Kirk of having uttered an ethnic slur and then deleted it. The rest of her posts she said she stands behind, including one highlighting Kirk’s claim that Black Americans were “better” during Jim Crow.

“None of it was me encouraging violence,” Leader said. “I was sharing evidence.”

Jordan Chamberlain, a former staffer of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, shared screenshots of several of Leader’s posts and tagged her university, asking if it approved of the content. Libs of TikTok shared Leader’s faculty headshot. The university’s president announced she had been put on administrative leave. Her address and phone number appeared online, and menacing messages followed.

A voicemail left in September for associate professor Karen Leader after she posted online about Kirk

In one voicemail reviewed by Reuters, the caller said: “We’re coming to get you. Karen Leader, we know where you work. We’re gonna come to your home as soon as we have your location.” Leader said she has rarely left her apartment since.

She reported the threats to Boca Raton police, which referred the case to campus officers, according to a police report. Florida Atlantic University police said their report could not be released because of an active criminal investigation.

Florida Atlantic University confirmed Leader was one of three academics who were on leave pending investigations. It declined further comment. Chamberlain also didn’t return an email seeking comment.

“Whether my career is over or not, I don’t know,” Leader said. “But my life has changed.”

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, Jana Winter, and Courtney Rozen in Washington and Isaac Vargas in Los Angeles. Edited by Jason Szep and Linda So.

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// RETALIATE BC JDV? BUT ALSO // THUGSWARM

AN 11 25

Two months after the assassination of MAGA podcaster Charlie Kirk, over 600 people have been targeted by the government with firings, suspensions, investigations and other actions, Reuters reports.

Educators, they note, are the main target, noting that "more than 350 education workers were fired, suspended or investigated in the days following the assassination, including 50 academics and senior university administrators, three high school principals, two cheerleading coaches and a theology instructor."

Reuters reports that "Republican officials publicly threatened to deprive universities and schools of taxpayer funds unless specific critics of Kirk were fired."

One of those people, Lauren Vaughn, a kindergarten assistant in South Carolina, was fired from her job after posting a Kirk quote defending the Second Amendment on social media followed by the now ubiquitous liberal rallying cry for gun control, "thoughts and prayers."

According to a Reuters review of court records, public statements, local media reports and interviews with two dozen people who were fired or otherwise disciplined, Vaughn "was one of more than 600 Americans fired, suspended, placed under investigation or disciplined by employers for comments about Kirk’s September 10 assassination."

At least 15 people were punished for "allegedly invoking 'karma' or 'divine justice,'" they note, "and at least nine others were disciplined for variations on 'good riddance.'"

"Other offending posts appeared to exult in the killing or express hope that other Republican figures would be next," they add.

But others like Vaughn were disciplined for simplycriticizing Kirk's politics, they note.

"This account is the most comprehensive to date of the backlash against Kirk’s critics, tracing how senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration, local Republican lawmakers and allied influencers mobilized to enforce the Trump movement’s views," Reuters explains.

"The story maps the pro-Trump machinery of retaliation now reshaping American political life, detailing its scale and tactics, ranging from shaming on social media to public pressure on employers and threats to defund institutions," they add.

While Reuters notes that "Americans sometimes lose their jobs after speaking out in heated political moments," the post-Kirk situation was different "because of its reach and its public backing from Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other top government officials."

"It represents a striking about-face for Republicans, who for years castigated the left for what they called 'cancel culture' – the ostracism or punishment of those whose views were deemed unacceptable," they add.

Vaughn is challenging her dismissal in a federal lawsuit filed September 18, seeking reinstatement, they write, but the school district maintains that her post “appeared to endorse Mr. Kirk’s murder or indicate that it was ‘worth’ him losing his life to protect Americans’ constitutional rights.”

Like Vaughn, Julie Strebe, a sheriff’s deputy in Salem, Missouri, lost her job after posting comments on Facebook about the shooting, including, “Empathy is not owed to oppressors.'

"She said her bosses were besieged with calls for her dismissal and that, at one point, a hand-drawn sign appeared across from her home reading, 'Julie Strebe Supports the Assassination of Charles Kirk,'" and has since had to install five surveillance cameras at her house to protect herself.

Reuters notes that "many Republican officials have embraced the punitive campaign," proposing "extraordinary measures," from lifetime social media bans to revoking visas over those they deem to have reveled in Kirk's death.

"Some academics compared the backlash to the 'Red Scare,' the anti-Communist purge that peaked in the 1950s, when officials, labor leaders and Hollywood figures were accused of Communist ties," Reuters notes.

Landon Storrs, a University of Iowa history professor, agrees, saying, "there are very disturbing parallels."

Even Trump loyalist Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) says it has gone too far, warning on his podcast that letting government decide “what speech we like and what we don’t” sets a dangerous precedent. Silencing voices like Jimmy Kimmel's might feel good, he said, but “when it’s used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it.” BC DEMS GUBMINT EVIL SO THEY WILL USE PWR WE GIVE THEM FOR EVIL, AND WE ARE ALREADY PERSUCUTED VICTIMS OF BIG TECH WOKISM

Far right social media influencers like the X account Libs of TikTokstarted the revenge campaign almost immediately following Kirk's death, Reuters says.

"In the week after the shooting, Libs of TikTok shared the names and profiles of at least 134 people accused of celebrating violence or mocking Kirk’s memory, frequently tagging Trump administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi. At times, the influencer posted disciplinary actions taken against specific government employees," they write.

The people Reuters has identified may not be accurate, they say, noting that "the tally of more than 600 people punished for criticizing Kirk is likely an undercount. Many companies and government organizations haven’t publicly disclosed terminations or suspensions."

The fallout has led to many peoples' silence, they report, saying, "The retaliation has silenced many voices. Scores of people who posted anti-Kirk comments have since scrubbed or locked their accounts, Reuters found. Others said in interviews that they are pushing back."

One of those, Kimberly Hunt, an HR worker in Arizona who was fired for her Kirk comments, is doing just that.

Hunt says she has raised more than $88,000 from a GoFundMe campaign titled, “Doxxed, Fired, but Not Silenced," saying she wants to use the money to further her education, become a content creator, and keep calling out people like Kirk.

“It’s definitely just emboldened me,” she says.

Not so for Florida Atlantic University associate professor Karen Leader, who was placed on administrative leave for her comments after a former staffer of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) shared screenshots of her posts and tagged her employer.

“Whether my career is over or not, I don’t know,” Leader says. “But my life has changed.”

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GMAIL 11 25

Right-wing influencers earn higher fees for sponsored posts than left-wing counterparts

Sora strangulations, Slurmcore, Bearista breakdowns, a skincare line for 3 yr olds, fitness influencers' hotness problem, MrBeast + Dealbook, Rizzwiches, how far ChatGPT will really go

Taylor Lorenz

Nov 10

∙

Preview

Reuters has an excellent new investigation out examining, in excruciating detail, how right wing influencers and Trump officials have formed a powerful alliance. The piece details how the Trump admin and influencers work together to target enemies, spread lies and transform the media landscape.” All of this is happening right as the social media platform landscape is being reshaped to privilege right-wing views and censor speech under the guise of “child safety.”

One of the most important takeaways from the story is how much money that can be made on the right. The piece talks about how Libs of TikTok’s Chaya Raichick charges $250,000 for vague social media consulting services. Conservative influencer Rogan O’Handley, aka DC_Draino, who has 5.3 million followers across Instagram and X, got paid $164,000 for just a few Instagram posts in 2024 by Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee sponsoring a push to legalize marijuana in the state.

Other right wing influencers including Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin and Tim Pool were paid millions ahead of the 2024 election. One was paid $400,000 a month, a $100,000 signing bonus and a performance bonus to create “four weekly videos.” The money was from a Russian propaganda scheme.

Reuters found that top right-wing influencers earn significantly higher fees for sponsored posts than their left-wing counterparts.

This tsunami of money on the right has allowed a new class of corporate centrist Democrats to fleece liberal donors out of millions of dollars for nonsensical schemes to “create the left Joe Rogan.” Chorus, a project of the notorious liberal dark money group the Sixteen Thirty Fund, for instance, is funneling tens of thousands of dollars to a slew of liberal influencers who take part in their Democrat messaging program.

But the influencers in the Chorus program and others like it, aren’t advocating for any meaningful changes to the system. Instead, they’re taking selfie videos with Chuck Schumer, leveraging interviews with politicians to create promotional content for their podcasts, and relentlessly attacking organically popular leftist influencers like Hasan Piker.

These Chorus influencers and others like them have also launched multi platform harassment and deplatforming campaigns against seemingly anyone on the left who doesn’t adhere to their pro-capitalism centrist Democrat talking points. They’ve sought to get prominent leftist influencers deplatformed and demonetized.

All of this has resulted in a system where influencers on the left face a 24/7 barrage of attacks from both centrist Democrats and the far right, who are increasingly aligned ideologically. Just like in congress, there is little to no actual meaningful opposition to Trump and the far right’s network of influence.

This asymmetric system is why I currently have zero advertising deals(!) and why buying a paid subscription to this newsletter or supporting my work on Patreon makes such a difference. I am not getting tens of thousands of dollars from centrist corporate Democrat dark money groups, or shady right wing causes. I earn my money directly from subscriptions.

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cancel cult scalps?

an 9 25

As Republicans continue to threaten those posting negative opinions on conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, including the Deputy Secretary of State andFlorida's Education Commissioner, social media activists have joined the campaign to hunt them down and, in some cases, get them fired from their jobs.

According to Salon, "Activists like [Libs of TikTok's] Chaya Raichik are trying to get liberals fired over insensitive remarks in the wake of Kirk's death."

Far-right activist Raichik, Salon says, has been the most active in the crusade against the critique, targeting everyone from a lecturer at Cal State University Monterrey Bay who posted on X, "“I cannot muster much sympathy, truly," to a U.S. Coast Guard employee, who captured a meme on Facebook with "“I don’t give a s--- about Charlie Kirk.”

While the lecturer, whose post asked, “What about all the kids, the many broken families from the over 258 school shootings 2020- present?” didn't seem to face any consequences beyond deleting his post, the Coast Guard said they are investigating the employee who posted the meme.

The Libs of TikTokker also targeted a former Twitter employee for posting "“As a long time fan this is incredibly disappointing," in reference to the moment of silence held for Kirk during a Yankee game.

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Raichick's efforts have led to several firings including a Middle Tennessee State University assistant dean, for posting what the university described as a "callous comment that said, "Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy."

The far-right social media influencer is no stranger to doxxing, the act of publicly revealing a person's private or identifying information online without their consent.

"Raichik herself complained that she had been the victim of doxxing after the Washington Postrevealed her identity in 2022," Salon explains. "She had been operating her account anonymously up to that point."

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cosplay ice ride along noem 4 25 with a badge boyfriend cory lew

big gun pted at aGENT

selfie in el salv gulag cecot

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an 7 25

On Tuesday, a federal judge issued a 128-page ruling striking down President Donald Trump's ban on asylum applications for immigrants crossing the Southern border of the United States that he issued earlier this year via executive order. Some of Trump's most outspoken supporters are furious over the decision.

U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss — who former President Barack Obama appointed to the District of Columbia in 2014 — ruled that Trump's asylum ban violated the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) and was an illegal attempt to install an "extra-statutory, extra-regulatory regime for repatriating or removing individuals from the United States." He added that "nothing in the INA or the Constitution grants the President or his delegees the sweeping authority asserted in the Proclamation and implementing guidance."

According to Politico legal correspondent Kyle Cheney, Judge Moss also designated asylum seekers as a protected class. This would appear to insulate his ruling from the recent Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision that prevented lower court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.

READ MORE:'Can anyone spell recession?' Trump slammed as jobs report stuns economists

Moss' decision was met with widespread outrage by Trump supporters on social media. MAGA influencer Gunther Eagleman characterized Moss' ruling as "ordering President Trump to reopen the border," adding: "Ignore this political HACK!" Charlie Kirk, who is the founder of far-right group Turning Point USA, also blasted the decision in a post to his X account.

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"There are a lot of conservatives who recklessly call for judicial rulings they don't like to be ignored. I have fought against that; it would be hugely destructive to throw out our constitutional balance of powers for the sake of a temper tantrum," Kirk tweeted. "But it is 100% not acceptable for a traitor on the federal bench to side with invaders in abolishing America. Period."

Far-right influencer Chaya Raichik's LibsofTikTok X account, which has more than four million followers, also piled on after Moss' decision was announced. She accused Moss of being an "activist judge who wants to turn the US into a Biden-era open border disaster."

Even though Moss has been a member of the D.C. District Court for more than a decade, his legal career stretches back nearly 40 years, when he was a clerk for U.S. District Judge Pierre Leval (an appointee of Democrat Bill Clinton) in 1986 in the Southern District of New York. He then clerked for SCOTUS Associate Justice John Paul Stevens (an appointee of Republican Gerald Ford) in the late eighties.

READ MORE:Republicans 'facing real general election problems' over Trump Medicaid cuts: ex-GOP rep

Click here to read Moss' full ruling.

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mma

Where did Trump's false claim that schools are providing gender-affirming surgeries come from?

Trump’s campaign was unable to provide a single example supporting his claim, repeated at a rally over the weekend. Similar lies have been spread by right-wing media figures in the past.

Special ProgramsLGBTQ

Written by Ari Drennen & Alyssa Tirrell

Research contributions from Vesper Henry

Published 09/10/24

At a September 7 rally in Wisconsin, former President Donald Trump again repeated his baselessclaim that schools could be providing gender-affirming surgeries to minors without parental consent.

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Mainstream outlets have debunked Trump's claim, assuring readers that “no children are going to school and receiving surgery there for gender dysphoria.” According to CNN, “Trump’s own presidential campaign could not provide a single example of this ever happening.”

But accusations that schools "groom" children into identifying as trans have circulated throughout right-wing media and politics in recent years. Some outlets and media figures have gone even further.

At a 2023 event, Rafael Cruz, father of Texas senator and onetime Trump primary opponent Ted Cruz, claimed that children were being “mutilated” by gender affirming care in public schools. Right-wing outlets including National Review, The Federalist, and The Daily Wire have all promoted claims that public schools are providing cross-sex hormones to children, leaving out of their headlines the important detail that parental consent is required to access this treatment.

The day before Trump made this claim, the account Libs of TikTok also appeared to make the same unsubstantiated accusation by implication.

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The National Center for Youth Law notes that under the law in question, only very specific services can be provided for minors without parental consent, such as STD testing, abortion care, and treatment for sexual abuse. Those services do not include gender-affirming care, which cannot be provided to a minor without parental consent in the state of California.

Libs of TikTok has a documented history of posting misleading and false content. Chaya Raichik, the creator behind the account, has maintained a right to do so as recently as February 2024, asking an interviewer who questioned the policy, "Is there a law against lying?”

While conservative groups have similarly acknowledged that there is zero documented evidence of expensive gender-affirming surgeries being performed in cash-strapped public schools, their resident anti-trans obsessives say that accuracy isn’t the point.

“Are kids getting surgery in school? No they’re not,” Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice admitted to CNN, insisting, however, that Trump’s statement “grabbed your attention, and we’re talking about it now, and that makes me very happy.”

Thomas Jipping, a senior legal fellow at the Project 2025 partner Heritage Foundation, also defended the claim to CNN. “Just change a couple words,” he said, and the claim “is 100% accurate and correct” — a standard that could be applied to any lie ever told.

Right-wing activists appear to see Trump’s words not as statements to be evaluated for accuracy, but rather as non literal expressions of presidential priorities. And indeed, the former president has laid out a draconian set of policy proposals targeting the trans community in a hypothetical second term.

These proposals include targeting federal funding for hospitals providing gender-affirming care, creating a “new credentialing body” for teachers that promotes conservative ideas about the nuclear family, and asking “Congress to pass a bill establishing that the only genders recognized by the United States government are male and female, and they are assigned at birth.”

When asked about these priorities at the Moms for Liberty event last Friday, Trump issued a chilling reply: “The President has such power.”

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  1. ### TIMELINE: The impact of Libs of TikTok told through the educators, health care providers, librarians, LGBTQ people, and institutions that have been harassed and violently threatened

11/02/23 8:29 AM EDT

  1. ### “Libs of TikTok” has used Twitter to target over 200 individual teachers, schools, and districts in 2022 for supporting LGBTQ students

04/28/22 11:39 AM EDT

  1. ### On Twitter, “Libs of TikTok” is driving threats against a children’s hospital

08/18/22

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Bomb threats follow Libs of TikTok's campaign against Planet Fitness | Media Matters for America

bomb threats follow Libs of TikTok's campaign against Planet Fitness

Dozens of locations across the country have reported bomb threats since the gym began receiving viral attention

Special PROGRAMSLGBTQ

WRITTEN BY ALYSSA TIRRELL

RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MIA GINGERICH

PUBLISHED 04/05/24

UPDATED 05/13/24

Update (last updated 5/13/24): *This article has been updated to include additional examples.

In early March, the account Libs of TikTok initiated an ongoing campaign against Planet Fitness, demanding a boycott in retaliation for the gym's trans-inclusive locker room policy. Although the company’s share price appears to have largely recovered, at least 53 locations of Planet Fitness have reported hoax bomb threats in recent weeks, continuing what has become a trend of violent threats against institutions targeted by the account.

CitationAndrea Austria / Media Matters

LoTT's campaign against Planet Fitness began after a member of the gym's Fairbanks, Alaska, location “reached out” with a complaint about “a man shaving in a women's bathroom.”

As the posts gained viral traction, Planet Fitness released a statement reiterating the gym's trans-inclusive policy and urging staff to “address discomfort” and “foster a climate of understanding.” The gym also clarified that “the member who posted on social media violated our mobile device policy that prohibits taking photos of individuals in the locker room, which resulted in their membership being terminated.”

On March 20, LoTT cited a Daily Mail story to claim that the account's activism had resulted in a $400 million loss in value for the gym. Right-wing media took their cue from LoTT, peppering in further anti-trans rhetoric and sometimes invoking the backlash that followed Bud Light's partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney as they repeated the story across cable news, online outlets, and podcasts.

Video

CitationFrom the March 20, 2024 edition of Fox News' The Faulkner Focus

On Fox News, OutKick’s Charly Arnolt claimed that “if you identify as trans you must have something mentally wrong with you in the first place,” and stated that she “hope to see their stock plummet even more, all the way to zero perhaps.”

OutKick (a Fox Corp. outlet) also published an article titled “Americans Are Starting To 'Bud Light' Planet Fitness.” The article cited LoTT and claimed that “Bud Light learned where Americans stand on celebrating the appropriation of the female gender,” urging similar backlash against the gym.

Video

CitationFrom the March 21, 2024, edition of the Daily Wire's The Matt Walsh Show

The following day, in a segment dedicated to the “cancellation” of Planet Fitness, Matt Walsh argued that the gym's gender-inclusive policy was untenable because “nobody has a gender identity.” He compared the gym to Bud Light and referred to its policy as “indefensibly stupid, reckless, and dangerous.”

Experts maintain that the Planet Fitness brand is financially stable “despite controversy.” However, some investment litigation firms have begun encouraging shareholders to participate in an investigation of the gym, specifically referencing the backlash against Bud Light in their announcements.

In the subsequent weeks, LoTT has continued to post about the gym, attempting to generate outrage by accusing Planet Fitness of a range of offenses, including "discriminating against White people," "grooming kids," "putting a mentally ill man's delusions before women's safety," and allowing "people to act out their s*xual f*tishes in public." The account has published dozens of posts on the gym, garnered thousands of reposts, and seemingly caused both "#BoycottPlanetFitness" and “Planet Fitness” to trend.

A series of bomb threats have followed against Planet Fitness locations in at least five cities, continuing what has become a trend of violent threats against the institutions targeted by the account. In addition to the Fairbanks, Alaska, location that reported a threat on March 15, at least four locations in or around Providence, Rhode Island, four locations in or around Jackson, Mississippi, “many” locations in Connecticut — including East Haven and Hamden gyms — and six locations in Wayne County, Michigan, have investigated similar threats since the campaign began.

Update (last updated 5/13/24): Since Media Matters first published this article on April 5, at least 36 additional bomb threats against Planet Fitness have been reported:*

Some Planet Fitness locations that were previously targeted have now reportedly received additional bomb threats, including multiple gyms in or around Providence, Rhode Island, Jacksonville, Florida, West Ocean City, Maryland, Milford, Delaware, East Haven, Connecticut, and Charlottesville, Virginia.

Additionally, at least two shopping centers in New Jersey and a shopping center in Maine that include Planet Fitness locations have reported bomb threats, although police have yet to specify whether the gyms were the target of these threats.

According to The Advocate, local law enforcement agencies are investigating the threats, and an FBI spokesperson said, “We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance.”

Clarification (4/23/24): An initial report that seemingly misidentified bomb threats to two Planet Fitness locations in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been removed. In fact, the threats were made in Prince William County, Virginia.

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Audience Laughs At LibsofTikTok Lady: She Can't Define 'Woke' | Crooks and Liars

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January 23, 2024 rww

Chaya Raichik—who doesn’t even live in Oklahoma—was tapped for her expertise on the “radical left” and “woke indoctrination.”

The controversial Oklahoma state superintendent of schools suggested, without evidence, that the state teachers union and educators were creating a culture that allowed for rampant sexual misconduct against students.

Woodfill has been endorsed by Attorney General Ken Paxton despite his connection to Paul Pressler, a prominent religious figure accused of rape.

After fist-pumping for Christian Nationalism and running away from the truth, Hawley doubled down on his effort to undo our constitutional system.

A new transcript from a key Hunter Biden witness undercuts many of the claims Republicans are making about “Biden corruption.”

The former president resorted to sound effects when explaining missile defense systems during a campaign rally in New Hampshire.

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Libs of TikTok creator accuses innocent person of Uvalde shooting to push anti-trans conspiracy theory | Media Matters for America

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rww 1123

USA TODAY has confirmed dozens of bomb threats, death threats and other harassment after Libs of TikTok’s posts since February 2022.

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amp req one up macho

https://www.mediamatters.org/tiktok:(style="background-color:#ffffffff"):}::{/i-smell-civil-war-far-right-tiktok-users-are-alluding-violence:(style="background-color:#ffff66ff"):}::{-following-news-trumps

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boost fox tucker

https://www.alternet.org/fox-news-2659033771/

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mma 1 23

no vid

“Libs of TikTok” founder Chaya Raichik is on a fringe right-wing media tour demeaning and attacking the LGBTQ community. Raichik has been interviewed by QAnon adherents, Nazi-linked hosts, and a variety of conspiracy theorists.

Libs of TikTok is an anti-LGBTQ hate account with 1.7 million followers on Twitter; it also has profiles on Instagram, Facebook, Gab, and Gettr.

Raichik’s tour began after she revealed her face on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Todayin late December, where she made barbaric comments about the LGBTQ community. Raichik has since embraced her public-facing persona and no longer seems afraid to be a face of anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism. (Raichik’s identity was first reported by The Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz in April.)

Here is a breakdown of Raichik’s recent interviews on far-right media:

On January 2, Raichik sat down with right-wing YouTuber and conspiracy theorist Tim Poolfor an interview at his Maryland studio. Pool’s show is a safe haven for anti-LGBTQ bigots, white nationalists, and conspiracy theorists.

During the interview, Raichik attacked drag shows, baselessly claiming that “the point of drag is to queer kids. They admit that.”

“They admit they’re grooming,” Pool responded.

The terms “groomer” and “grooming” are slurs used to wrongly equate LGBTQ people with pedophiles. [vid]

raichik appeared on QAnon conspiracy theorist DeAnna Lorraine’s show on January 10. Lorraine’s program is part of white nationalist Stew Peters’ media network and is streamed on Rumble. During the episode, the duo attacked trans people and attempted to conflate the LGBTQ community with pedophiles.

When Lorraine asked Raichik about recent headlines she had shared online, Raichik described an LGBTQ organization providing free gender-affirming clothing products to trans youth as “scary” and “dangerous." [vid]

raichik called in to right-wing radio host Sebastian Gorka’s show on January 11. Gorka is a pro-insurrection conspiracy theorist who is closely associated with the neo-Nazi-aligned group Vitézi Rend.

Raichik said that she plans on doing more media hits with Gorka.

raichik’s foray into the far-right media landscape fits with her extremist past; she has repeatedly attacked children’s hospitals for working with trans youth and was reportedly present at the January 6 insurrection.

Before sitting down with Carlson, Raichik appeared anonymously for interviews with various right-wing media figures including violent white nationalist and **Proud Boys founderGavin McInnes, Newsmax’s Eric Bolling, and Fox News’ Tammy Bruce.

This article will be updated with additional examples as they occur.

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intercept 12 22

LIES ABOUT REP. KATIE PORTER reached millions of Twitter users this week, as the California Democrat’s remarks about how the platform has been used to falsely label LGBTQ+ people as pedophiles were misleadingly edited and captioned in tweets by influential right-wing activists.

The deceptive clips of Porter’s remarks, accompanied by false claims that she had condoned pedophilia, were viewed more than 2.2 million times on Twitter after being shared by right-wing activist accounts, including Chaya Raichik’sLibs of TikTok and Jaimee Michell’sGays Against Groomers.

Those video clips were created by Porter’s political enemies, who made it seem as if Porter, at a Congressional oversight hearing on Wednesday, had argued that pedophilia was not a crime but an identity.

Transcripts and video of Porter’scomplete remarks make it clear that she was saying something entirely different — namely, that right-wing activists have inspired hatred of LGBTQ+ Americans in tweetsfalsely accusing them of being pedophiles, or so-called groomers.

[vid]

a spokesperson for Porter also told the fact-checking service VERIFY, which works with local news stations in 29 states, that the representative “did not say that pedophilia is not a crime.”

In an irony that perfectly encapsulates the impossibility of reasoned discourse with far-right activists willing to lie, the video used to smear Porter was taken from her discussion of areport documenting how activist accounts like Libs of TikTok and Gays Against Groomers use Twitter to falsely accuse LGBTQ+ liberals of pedophilia. The report was produced by the LGBTQ+ civil rights organization Human Rights Campaign.

At the hearing, Porter prefaced a question for Kelley Robinson, the HRC president, by saying: “Your organization recently released a report analyzing the 500 most viewed, most influential tweets that identified LGBTQ+ people as so-called groomers. The ‘groomer’ narrative is an age-old lie to position LGBTQ+ people as a threat to kids. And what it does is deny them access to public spaces, it stokes fear, and can even stoke violence.”

Porter then asked Robinson if Twitter’s hateful conduct policy allows users to call LGBTQ+ people “groomers” on the platform.

After Robinson explained that those slurs are used in violation of Twitter’s poorly enforced community guidelines, she added that when people baselessly use words like “groomers” and “pedophiles” to describe LGBTQ+ people, “it is dangerous, and it’s got one purpose: It is to dehumanize us, and make us feel like we are not a part of this American society, and it has real-life consequences.”

Porter responded by saying that she agreed with Robinson that the use of such terms to smear members of LGBTQ+ communities whose politics differ from the far-right activists was intended to marginalize them.

“I think you’re absolutely right,” Porter said. “And it’s not, you know, this allegation of ‘groomer’ and of ‘pedophile,’ it is alleging that a person is criminal somehow, and engaged in criminal acts, merely because of their identity, their sexual orientation, their gender identity. So this is clearly prohibited, under Twitter’s content, yet you found hundreds of these posts on the platform.”

in addition to Raichik and Michell, whose anti-LGBTQ+ activism has previously been amplified by America’s most-watched cable news host, Tucker Carlson, misleading clips of Porter were also shared by Greg Price, a former Republican operative and Daily Caller social media editor; Sebastian Gorka, who was fired by the Trump White House; and Ian Miles Cheong, a far-right Malaysian blogger Elon Musk frequently replies to and agrees with on Twitter.

While the tweets from Cheong and Raichik — who falsely asserted that “Rep Katie Porter (D) says pedophilia isn’t a crime- it’s an identity” — were eventually flagged as misleading by Twitter users, the 1.5 million people who follow Michell, Price, or Gorka encountered no such warning.

Although he did not share the video, Rep. Ronny Jackson, a Texas Republican, also lied about what Porter said on Twitter. “Katie Porter just said that pedophilia isn’t a crime, she said it’s an ‘identity,'” Jackson claimed, falsely. “The sad thing is that this woman isn’t the only VILE person pushing for pedophilia normalization. This is what progressives believe!”

While the HRC report Porter highlighted showed that right-wing activists had violated Twitter’s hateful conduct policy repeatedly before Musk bought the platform, the previous ownership team did make some attempt to rein in Raichik, who was temporarily suspended several times.

Related

Left-Wing Voices Are Silenced on Twitter as Far-Right Trolls Advise Elon Musk

Since Musk took control, however, “retweets of right-wing figures’ tweets that included the anti-LGBTQ ‘groomer’ slur increased substantially, as did mentions of right-wing figures in tweets containing the slur,” according to new data from LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD and Media Matters, a watchdog group that monitors right-wing misinformation.

Michell’s Gays AgainstGroomers account, the study found, “saw an increase of nearly 300% for retweets of tweets with the slur,” comparing the two months before and after Musk took control of the platform. Raichik’s Libs of TikTok “saw more than a 600% increase in its mentions,” over the same period for tweets using “groomer” slurs.

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https://www.mediamatters.org/libs-tiktok/after-twitter-lifted-libs-tiktoks-suspension-viral-anti-lgbtq-account-immediately

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mma 9 22

While children’s hospitals were facing a deluge of violent threats in August from an online campaign of intimidation and misinformation fueled by anti-LGBTQ trolls, Fox News repeatedly provided a platform for the individuals responsible for the harassment to amplify their attacks. Over the course of two weeks, Fox News — the most-watched cable network in the country — spent more time and ran more segments targeting three different children’s hospitals over false claims about gender-affirming care than CNN or MSNBC combined spent discussing the attacks.

Led by conservative social media figures including Chaya Raichik and Matt Walsh, an online campaign began by targeting Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., with false claims that they were providing hysterectomies for trans youth. The unsubstantiated claims were debunked by independent fact-checking websites and refuted by the hospitals, which did not stop right-wing media figures from taking up the attacks to malign all gender-affirming care for trans youth as “mutilation.”

In reality, these hospitals do not provide genital surgery to trans youth. Rather, they follow the standards of care established by national medical organizations, offering medically necessary care that is supported by every major medical organization in America.

Fox News amplified the architects of the harassment campaign that resulted in threats of violence against at least three different children’s hospitals

Amid the influx of threats against children’s hospitals, Fox News adopted the attacks as part of its ongoing effort to demonize trans health care for political points and at the expense of trans children.

Between August 18, when the network’s first segment attacking Boston Children’s Hospital aired, and August 31, when Fox aired its most recent segment, attacking Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital, the network aired 7 segments and spent more than 20 minutes vilifying the hospitals. Notably, three of the Fox prime-time shows featuring the attacks are in the top 10 most-watched cable news programs in the country — Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Ingraham Angle, and Jesse Watters Primetime.

And while other Fox News prime-time shows similarly repeated anti-trans attacks on the children’s hospitals, Tucker Carlson’s program has been the most responsible for amplifying the misinformation campaign and the figures behind it.

On August 18, the day after Vice News reported that far-right extremists were threatening to execute doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital over lies told about their gender-affirming care program, Carlson invited Chris Elston onto his show. Elston, a Canadian anti-trans extremist whose tweet kicked off the attacks on Boston Children’s Hospital, erroneously claimed gender-affirming care was “the biggest child abuse scandal in modern medicine history,” while Carlson called the care “sexual mutilation of children."

[vid]

a week later, Fox News ran 5 segments attacking D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital after it was targeted with a similar smear campaign prompted by Raichik, whose Twitter account “Libs of TikTok” has been instrumental in fueling Fox News’ anti-LGBTQ messaging. After the hospital reported its staff had received threats of violence, Carlson invited Raichik onto the August 30 edition of his show.

During the segment, Carlson falsely claimed Children’s National Hospital was “castrating young people, minors for no legitimate purpose whatsoever” and asserted that Raichik was “committing actual journalism."

[vid]

the night Carlson’s interview with Raichik aired, Boston Children’s Hospital was targeted with a bomb threat.

The next night, propagandist Chris Rufo earned a spot on Carlson’s show after falsely claiming that Lurie Children’s Hospital was promoting “‘trans-friendly’ sex toys for children” based on a resource document provided exclusively to teachers.

Carlson opened the segment by saying, “Most people trust children's hospitals implicitly. They just didn't know the details — but thanks to the internet, we now do.” He went on to claim that “some of these hospitals are performing horrifying experiments on children,” including “things you think would be crimes but that apparently aren't and that are going on in children's hospitals in the United States." [vid]

fox News’ attacks on children’s hospitals have outpaced mainstream cable network’s coverage of the threats

Coverage of the targeted harassment and threats against multiple major children’s hospitals from CNN and MSNBC lagged behind Fox News’ attacks against the same facilities. Not only did Fox spend more time (over 20 minutes) attacking and spreading misinformation on children’s hospitals over gender-affirming care than the other two networks spent covering the attacks (less than 19 minutes), but no show on either mainstream network has aired more than one segment on the attacks. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson Tonight alone has aired 3 segments attacking the hospitals. In fact, Carlson’s show spent more time (just under 12 minutes) attacking children’s hospitals than CNN spent discussing the attacks across all programming (just over 5 minutes). MSNBC spent just over 13 minutes discussing the story.

While Carlson repeatedly hosted guests pushing anti-trans misinformation against gender-affirming care, only one show segment on either CNN or MSNBC interviewed a medical professional. The August 18 edition of MSNBC’s The 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhles**poke with a doctor about the struggle of providing essential health care for trans youth while facing a barrage of threats.

Methodology

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libs_of_TikTok#::text=Libs%20of%20TikTok%20is%20a,%2C%20derogatory%2C%20or%20mocking%20commentary.

liibs of TikTok is a right-wing Twitter account owned by former real estate worker Chaya Raichik.[1][2][3] The account reposts content created by liberals, leftists, and LGBT people on TikTok and on other social media platforms, often with hostile, derogatory, or mocking commentary.[4][5][6] The account, also known by the handle @libsoftiktok, has over 1.3 million followers as of August 2022,[7][8] and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right.[2][5][9] Raichik claims to run the account alone and full-time and lives in Los Angeles.[6][10] Libs of TikTok's social media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and one permanent suspension from TikTok.[11][12][13][14]

Libs of TikTok has appropriated the term "groomer" as a pejorative to characterize LGBT people, supporters of LGBT youth,[4][15][16] and those who teach about sexuality to children.[17][11] The account has been described as promoting harassment against teachers and children's hospitals[2][18] and spreading misinformation and hateful commentary against marginalized groups.[19][20] Fans and supporters of Libs of TikTok argue that Raichik simply reposts content that was already publicly available.[2][11][21]

Libs of TikTok was originally the personal account of Chaya Raichik, who has continued to be the account's owner. Created in November 2020, the account became Libs of TikTok in April 2021. Libs of TikTok began receiving media attention in August 2021, including from conservative commentators and news outlets. Raichik remained anonymous until her identity was revealed in April 2022 by both software developer Travis Brown and Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz.[6][12]

Some conservatives accused Lorenz of doxxing as a result.[22] Lorenz and The Washington Post have stood by their reporting on Libs of TikTok.[23] In August 2022, Libs of TikTok received substantial media attention after falsely claiming that gender-affirming hysterectomies were being provided to minors at the Boston Children's Hospital and at the Children's National Hospital. This resulted in a harassment campaign against both hospitals.

Account history

Inception and original content (November 2020–June 2021)

The account was created in November 2020 as a personal account with the handle @shaya69830552, and later @shaya_ray. According to The Daily Dot, "in its early days, [the account] primarily existed as a reply account that routinely showed up in the comments of prominent conservatives on Twitter." 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 she was present at the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Raichik criticized the law enforcement officers at the Capitol, tweeting "[t]hey 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][12][24]

In May and June 2021, before and during Pride Month, Libs of TikTok started posting anti-LGBT commentary, including her first tweet using "grooming" as a pejorative for LGBT people.[4]

Chaya Raichik also ran the now-defunct Twitter account @NewYorkIsShitty.[6]

Media attention (August 2021–April 2022)

In August 2021, podcaster Joe Rogan began promoting the account on The Joe Rogan Experience, leading to a large increase in followers. Prior to being promoted by Rogan, Libs of TikTok had amassed around 65,000 followers. That same month, lawyer and Republican Party operative Grant Lally filed a trademark for Libs of TikTok as a "news reporter service".[5][12] 

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.[12][24][25]

In April 2022, Seth Dillon, CEO of conservative Christian satire website The Babylon Bee, announced a partnership with Libs of TikTok.[24]

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.[12] Raichik told the New York Post that "I don't do this for money or fame" and "I'm not some politician or blue-check journalist."[6]

Identity revelation (April 2022)

The account's creator endeavored to stay anonymous, appearing in newspaper and television interviews under the condition of anonymity.[12] 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.[6][12] According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) donation records, Raichik donated to Republican politicians in 2020 and 2021.[6]

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 in Brooklyn. These details were scraped from early iterations of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account.[12] The online version of the article initially included a link to Raichik's real estate license, although this was later removed.[26]

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.[23][27][22] Raichik also accused Lorenz of doxxing and told the New York Post that she "will never be silenced".[28][29] 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."[5]

Some conservatives said Lorenz's visitation of the home of Raichik's relatives was harassment.[25] Journalists responded by noting that visitations are a standard part of reporting procedure.[30][31]

Lorenz and The Washington Post have stood by the reporting[23] and Lorenz accused conservatives of trying to "sow doubt and discredit journalism".[32] 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".[25] Some commentators, as well as Libs of TikTok, disputed this because the real estate license that the article initially linked to included a home address.[26]

Libs of TikTok gained about 200,000 new Twitter followers in the day after the article was published.[33]

Account suspensions (April 2022–August 2022)

Libs of TikTok had an account on TikTok itself, but it was suspended for violating TikTok's community guidelines in March 2022.[12][34] Twitter has temporarily suspended Libs of TikTok three times.[12][14] On April 13, 2022, Libs of TikTok was suspended on Twitter for promoting "violence, threats or harassment against others based on their sexual orientation or other factors such as race or gender".[24] The tweet that resulted in this suspension featured an image of a transgender woman, whom Libs of TikTok referred to as male, and claimed that the woman had been using female locker rooms. The tweet was later deleted by Libs of TikTok.[34]

On August 27, 2022, Libs of TikTok received a one-week no-posting suspension from Twitter for "hateful conduct" and Twitter issued a warning that the account could be permanently banned.[14][34][35][36] According to The Washington Post, the tweet that resulted in this suspension featured "Raichik again misidentif[ying] a person's gender." The tweet was later deleted by Libs of TikTok.[34] In response to the suspension, Libs of TikTok said that "Getting suspended by Twitter has only made me realize my biggest mistake. I only called one hospital I should have called dozens because I promise you Children's National is not the only one. I promise to learn from my mistake and uncover more of what our Big Tech overlords don't want us to know. I will do better in the future."[34][36]

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."[13]

On August 17, Libs of TikTok was suspended by Facebook; according to Raichik, she was told it was "permanent".[11][37] After less than a day, the account was reinstated.[11][38] Facebook said that the account was suspended in error.[2] LGBT organization GLAAD criticized the reinstatement of the account.[39]

On August 30, activists launched a campaign to pressure e-commerce platform Shopify into dropping Libs of TikTok. The activists have claimed that Raichik's store violates Shopify's acceptable use policy, which bans hateful content, as well as goods or services that lead to harassment, bullying, or threats. As of September 1, over 4,300 users have submitted reports to Shopify to drop Libs of TikTok. In a statement, Shopify defended Libs of TikTok, saying that "We host businesses of all stripes and sizes, with various worldviews".[34]

According to NPR, "Libs of TikTok appears to have evaded outright bans by coming right up to the edge of the platforms' rules but not breaking them", adding that the account "does not explicitly encourage followers to threaten anyone, and typically uses its target's own words, sometimes stripped of context, to imply wrongdoing."[2] According to Joan Donovan, research director at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, deleting controversial tweets before a platform takes action is a common tactic for digital actors spreading disinformation. Libs of TikTok has used this tactic to avoid additional penalties from Twitter while still making an impact on a large online audience.[34]

According to The Washington Post, Twitter employees in internal Slack conversations have been urging Twitter to take more action against Libs of TikTok, with one employee arguing that it is "only a matter of time" before Raichik's posts result in someone being killed. In a Slack conversation, a Twitter executive asked employees to "refrain" from discussing if an account should be suspended, arguing that the conversation could get leaked.[34]

Removal of tweets, Proud Boys and Patriot Front incidents, drag shows, and death threats (April 2022–June 2022)

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.[28][40]

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 the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group.[41] 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 Frontmembers being arrested, before getting to their destination, for planning a riot in the Coeur d'Alene event.[42][43] 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.[44] 

According to NPR, "there's no conclusive link between the posts and the extremist groups' activities,"[2] though investigators at the Alameda County Sheriff's Officebelieve that the Proud Boys confrontation was caused by Libs of TikTok.[34][45]

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.[46][47]

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.[48]

Children's hospital tweets (June 2022–August 2022)

According to The Washington Post, "Raichik began criticizing children's health facilities earlier this summer, targeting a hospital in Omaha in June and another in Pittsburgh in August."[34]

In August 2022, Libs of TikTok made around 13 tweets about the Boston Children's Hospital and their gender-affirming care, falsely claiming that they were providing gender-affirming hysterectomies to minors.[49][50][51][52] One of these tweets contained a reposted video in which one of the hospital's gynecologists discusses a gender-affirming hysterectomy and captioned it as: "Boston Children's Hospital is now offering 'gender-affirming hysterectomies' for young girls".[49] 

The video was removed after the hospital started receiving a high volume of online criticism, despite the fact that the physician does not suggest that the procedure is offered to children.[49][51] The false claims that Boston Children's Hospital performs hysterectomies on young children were republished by prominent conservative commentators and conservative media outlets such as The Post Millennial.[9][51][53] This resulted in the hospital, its employees, and providers receiving death threats, threats of violence, and other harassment via email, phone, and on the internet.[20][34][54][50] According to Boston physician Michael O'Brien, "pediatric patients in Boston [Children's Hospital] are being seen with extra security" due to threats.[55] The harassment campaign's effect on hospital phone systems temporarily impaired the ability of patients to speak with providers there.[56] On August 30, the hospital received an anonymous bomb threat by phone which forced the hospital into a temporary lockdown,[57][58][59][60][61][62] although it is unknown whether the threat was related to the harassment.[58]

When contacted by The Washington Post, Raichik did not answer a question about whether she felt responsible for the threats against the hospitals, but said that "we 100% condemn any acts/threats of violence".[34]

The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, and Politifact rejected the tweets and claims as false.[2][49][51][53] According to the hospital's website and statements, the hospital adheres to medical guidelines developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and gender-affirming surgeries are only offered to patients between the ages of 18 and 35 while surgical consultations can be offered beginning at the age of 17.[53][1] The hospital said in a statement that "Boston Children's does not – and will not – perform a hysterectomy as part of gender-affirming care on a patient under the age of 18."[63][64] and said in another statement that "we condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms, and we reject the false narrative upon which they are based."[54]

According to The Washington Post, an archived version of the hospital's website appeared to state that vaginoplasties, the surgical construction or reconstruction of a vagina, were available to 17-year-olds at the hospital. However, the hospital clarified that while patients could receive surgical consultations at age 17, they must be "between 18 and 35 years of age at the time of surgery." The hospital has since updated their website to reflect this policy.[53]

On August 25, 2022, Libs of TikTok published a recording of phone operators at the Children's National Hospital, who incorrectly suggested that a 16-year-old transgender boy could be eligible for a hysterectomy at the hospital's gender development clinic. One employee claimed that even younger patients are eligible for a hysterectomy.[2][8][34][65] Right-wing media outlets, including Fox News and The Daily Caller, published articles about the recording.[52] A spokeswoman for the hospital stated: "None of the people who were secretly recorded by this activist group deliver care to our patients. We do not and have never performed gender-affirming hysterectomies for anyone under the age of 18."[8][65] The hospital's website, in error, had previously stated that hysterectomies were provided to patients "between the ages of 0-21".[8] The hospital has received harassment and "a large volume of hostile and threatening phone calls and emails", as well as bomb threats.[8][34][52][65] As of September 2, 2022, the recording has been viewed more than 1.1 million times on Twitter.[34]

The account has targeted other children's hospitals with similar false claims, including a Nebraska children's hospital, Phoenix Children's Hospital, and Lurie Children's Hospital.[66][67]

Reactions

Legal authorities in the state put out statements supporting the hospital and its patients, with a spokesman for the Boston Police Department stating that they were investigating the threats.[53] The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has also launched an investigation into the threats and has spoken out in support of the hospital, saying that they will "ensure equal protection of transgender people under the law".[39][54] The U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts called the attacks "disturbing".[2] Boston mayor Michelle Wu condemned the threats being made against the hospital.[68]

Harvard Law School clinical instructor and transgender activist Alejandra Caraballo said that "It's very disturbing to see people justify attacking a children's hospital because of their transphobia and their hatred of trans people".[57] Michael Haller, a professor of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Florida, said that "A lot of people have chosen to try to be as quiet about their practice as they can to avoid those direct attacks" and that "Institutions have removed their websites, taken down their publicly facing phone numbers."[34] Michelle Forcier, a clinician at LGBT telehealth group Folx Health, argued that "Kids are getting this significant messaging of, not only are you not okay, but we want to hurt you", adding "That's a pretty scary message to get as an 8-year-old or 12-year-old. It absolutely makes everybody think twice about walking in the door [to a hospital], kids and parents."[34]

Content

Libs of TikTok has been described as right-wing,[9][14][53] far-right,[52][69] conservative,[35][65] and extremist.[61]

Libs of TikTok's early content focused on reposts of videos by progressives about Anthony Fauci and vaccinations that it deemed cringeworthy.[4] The account's early content also mocked perceived liberal hypocrisy and "wokeness".[5] Slate linked Libs of TikTok's early success to "shamelessly tagging alt-right and far-right heavy hitters on Twitter, a strategy she continues to use to this day".[4]

Libs of TikTok promotes conservatism and anti-LGBT rhetoric. It has referred to schools as "government run indoctrination camps" for the LGBT community.[12][5] It has encouraged followers to contact schools that allowed transgender students to use bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity.[6][12][5] Libs of TikTok also aims to "spread the horrors of what doctors are doing to young, confused individuals".[63]

Libs of TikTok has also said that adults teaching children about LGBT identities is abusive and constitutes child grooming.[12][24] In since-deleted tweets, the account specifically accused Chasten Buttigieg and The Trevor Project organization of grooming.[40][28][70] The account argued in another since-deleted tweet that any teacher who comes out as gay to their students should be fired.[24] 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.[6][12] In a since-deleted tweet, Libs of TikTok stated, "Men should not wear dresses. You can’t change my mind."[4]

Libs of TikTok opposes gender-affirming care, arguing that it is mass scale child abuse and that "Any doctor performing [gender-affirming] surgeries [on children] should have their license revoked. They belong in prison".[10][36]

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.[12][71][70]

Libs of TikTok has denied systemic racism and argued that racism against white people was "flourishing" in the United States.[4] 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, and stated that the account has endorsed police brutality.[4]

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.[4][72] After the video went viral, ASU investigated and then reprimanded the two female students.[4][72]

After gaining popularity on Twitter, Libs of TikTok has since expanded to additional social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Rumble, Gab and Gettr.[12][24][10] Libs of TikTok also sells merchandise on e-commerce platform Shopify and sells subscriptions on online newsletter platform Substack.[34] According to Erin Reed, a content creator and legislative researcher, "Libs of TikTok relies on monetizing through Shopify and Substack. They use these funds in continuing their work to target children's hospitals and getting them shut down".[34]

Impact

See or edit [source data.]

A graph of @libsoftiktok's follower count since May 2021.

Impact on teachers

After Libs of TikTok reposts videos of LGBT people or their supporters, some of her followers send harassment and death threats to those people, who are usually teachers.[24]

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".[24] In April 2022, Libs of TikTok posted the video, and the clip went viral.[24] The teacher received death threats and other online harassment as a result, and resigned soon thereafter.[73][74] Libs of TikTok later made a post claiming, without evidence, that the teacher was fired "after complaints of grooming."[24] 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.[24][74] Oklahoma Republican Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer accused the teacher of being a "predator".[24][74] As of May 9, 2022, the repost has more than 460,000 views.[24]

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.[75] After conservative and far-right accounts attacked her on social media, she deleted all of her social media accounts.[75]

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.[76] On November 24, Walker resigned from their position.[77]

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: "We have seen multiple examples already of teachers grooming kids in a GSA club behind parents' backs." The teacher later deleted her TikTok account.[24]

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.[24]

On July 18, 2022, Libs of TikTok posted a photo of first-grade teacher Jake Daggett of the Wauwatosa School District with the quote "we had a great pronoun discussion today" being attributed to the teacher. The post spread to far-right forums, including Patriots.win. Afterwards, Dagget received homophobic comments, death threats, harassment, and posts calling for him to be fired. In response, Dagget said that he would take a short break from social media. The Wauwatosa School District acknowledged the situation on Twitter and Superintendent Demond Means defended Dagget, saying that "the negativity that both Mr. Daggett and his principal have received nationally definitely does not represent the values of our school district. We stand in full support of these two outstanding educators."[78]

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.[79]

According to Euronews, "some of the people targeted by [Libs of TikTok] have received hundreds or even thousands of hate comments."[79] 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.[24][18][79]

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."[27]

Political impact

Libs of TikTok helped popularize the term 'groomer' as a pejorative for LGBT people, supporters of LGBT youth,[4][15][16] and those who teach about sexuality.[17]

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.[12] Pushaw has interacted with the Libs of TikTok account more than 100 times since July 16, 2021.[24] Fox News host 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.[80]

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.[42]

In July 2022, OutLoud North Bay, a centre for LGBT youth in Ontario, received hate messages and death threats after Libs of TikTok posted tweets in response to the centre announcing a drag show for children.[81] Also in July, Libs of TikTok made a tweet criticizing the Conservative Jewish camping network, Camp Ramah in Northern California, for "housing kids according to their gender identity rather than birth sex".[82][83]

On August 10, 2022, Libs of TikTok reposted a video of a therapist who works with sex offenders who have been jailed. In the video, the therapist says their pronouns and advises people to use the term "minor-attracted persons" (MAPs) instead of "pedophiles", arguing that the latter term has "moved from being a diagnostic label to being a judgmental, hurtful insult that we hurl at people in order to harm them or slander them". They also argue that pedophiles do not choose their attraction to children and should not be solely defined by that one aspect of themselves. Libs of TikTok only posted the first two minutes of the video, which made it sound like the therapist was advocating for acceptance of pedophilia and for people to be nicer to child sex abusers. In the full version of the video, the therapist condemns child sex abuse crimes. Libs of TikTok's reposted video has been promoted by Russian and European disinformation networks, such as Tsargrad TV.[36][84]

Michael O'Brien, a pediatrics resident at a hospital in South Carolina, said that he received threats after Libs of TikTok, on August 15, retweeted a tweet in which he had criticized the account. O'Brien reported some of the threats to his employer's public safety office: "I got three specific threats that came from within a 50-mile radius of where I live", adding that "The threats felt very tangible. I had to take action to protect my partner and warn my family." Regarding Raichik's Twitter activity, he said that "Every single time [Raichik] claims not to have responsibility, but she continues to do the same thing" and that "She's very tactical, and purposefully tries not to break the terms of Twitter while knowing what she's doing is causing harm."[34]

Reception

Response to account content

The account has been described as promoting harassment against teachers and children's hospitals[2][18] and of spreading misinformation and hateful commentary against marginalized groups by reposting videos and social media clips of LGBT people, teachers, schools and other institutions out of context and with incendiary framing.[2][6][19][20][21][53] Fans and supporters of Libs of TikTok argue that Raichik simply reposts content that was already publicly available.[2][11][21]

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".[12] According to Drennen, she received more than 500 hateful comments about her sexuality and appearance after criticizing Libs of TikTok.[85] Kylie Cheung of Jezebel argued that "Deplatforming hateful accounts like LibsOfTikTok – whose online attacks can clearly, quickly escalate into real-life threats – is an important step. But it's clear we're in the midst of a terrifying, broader anti-LGBTQ moment right now that's being fueled by pretty much every right-wing media outlet as well as top Republicans."[86] Christopher Wiggins of The Advocate argued that "LibsOfTikTok is [a] voice in an overall climate of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric that some correlate to an increase of anti-LGBTQ+ incidents."[33] Elad Nehorai of The Forward argued that Libs of TikTok is "fueling a pogrom against trans youth", comparing accusations of grooming to antisemitic blood libel.[10] LGBT organization GLAAD said in a statement that "Libs of TikTok is synonymous with maliciously targeting LGBTQ organizations, people, and allies by posting lies, misinformation, and blatant hate."[39]

Joan Donovan, research director at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, argued that "we've reached this phase in social media where people know what to do when an account like Libs of TikTok calls out another account or a person or institution", calling the response to these posts "networked incitement" that can create "a snowball effect, where you see people getting more emboldened to participate". Donovan also argued that "the precipitating comments may not be that incendiary, but if that creates a pattern of attack that is recognizable, which it is with an account like Libs of TikTok, then these companies are well within their jurisdiction to warn and then ban the account." Donovan has drawn parallels between Twitter's handling of Libs of TikTok and Twitter's failure to stop QAnon, the Stop the Steal movement, and the January 6 Capitol attack, which Twitter only started cracking down on after several acts of violence were linked to these movements. She also drew parallels between right-wing media amplifying Libs of TikTok and the online campaign that resulted in the January 6 Capitol attack. Donovan noted that "We're seeing more people feeling — as they did during the insurrection — that storming a hospital might be their only option to defend themselves and their values".[2][34] Harvard Law School clinical instructor and transgender activist Alejandra Caraballo argued that Twitter has not banned Libs of TikTok for its content because "they don't want to rock the boat politically while the [Elon Musk purchase] is ongoing."[64] Meredithe McNamara, assistant professor of pediatrics at Yale University, argued that "allowing this hate speech to fester on the internet and fuel direct threats is going to create long standing harms that are difficult to recover from."[34]

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".[87] 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."[88] Fox News host Tucker Carlson defended Libs of TikTok from criticism, saying that "no news organisation in America has done more to reveal the reality in American schools than Libs of TikTok" and called the videos reposted by the account "idiotic and disgusting".[5] Donald Trump Jr. argued that "the question Libs of TikTok often raises – And the Left wants to ignore – Is do parents have a right to know what their children are being taught in their public school, or not?".[21]

Libs of TikTok has described its reposting of videos as "exposés" of "the crazies".[2] Libs of TikTok has also described criticism of her online activity as efforts to "cancel and silence" and has said that she receives death threats.[2]

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."[89] 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."[90]

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."[91]

Writing about the revealing of Raichik's identity, Kaitlyn Tiffany of The Atlantic argued that "where the term [doxxing] once defined a category, it now expresses an emotion. Whoever feels doxxed will claim to have been doxxed."[29]

Some Jewish critics, including watchdog organization StopAntisemitism.org and Jewcy magazine editor Isaac de Castro, argued that Lorenz's mention of Raichik's Orthodox Judaism was unnecessary and promoted antisemitism.[21] Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor in chief of The Jewish Week, defended the inclusion of Raichik's 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".[92]

Other responses

In April 2022, 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.[93] Also in April, 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".[94]

Reference

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https://www.mediamatters.org/libs-tiktok/libs-tiktoks-chaya-raichik-boston-childrens-hospital-bomb-threat-caller-probably-left

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omfg

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/tucker-carlson-accuses-childrens-national-hospital-castrating-young-people-minors-no

no lnx

TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): We brought you this saga of Libs of TikTok -- one of the most informative accounts on Twitter. And because it is so informative, it keeps getting banned. Libs of TikTok just proved that physicians are, in fact, castrating young people, minors for no legitimate purpose whatsoever. Libs of TikTok reported -- recorded this call with Children's National Hospital, for example, in Washington, D.C.

[...]

Yeah, castrating kids. They admitted it, flat out. Now Children's Hospital is denying it, pretending it's not true.

Today,Vice.com, which rides to the rescue of anyone in power who's been embarrassed -- whether it's the CIA or the State Department or the Biden administration or Google or in this case, the medical establishment -- went after Libs of TikTok, one person. Vice, like a billion dollars in venture funding, they're claiming that Libs of TikTok is, quote, "helping the Kremlin" -- Kremlin -- "boost anti-LGBT disinformation." And then the Washington Post, owned by the richest man in the world, accused Libs of TikTok of lying. And then NPR, which is funded by your tax dollars and spends all of its time attacking you and your family for whom they have pure contempt, is pushing to ban Libs of TikTok. And then shortly after that, not surprisingly, Twitter obeyed and suspended Libs of TikTok, alleging hateful conduct.

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childrens hosp!

https://www.mediamatters.org/libs-tiktok/libs-tiktok-vows-continue-targeting-hospitals-after-twitter-suspension-hateful-conduct

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https://www.alternet.org/2022/04/journalistic-fact-checking-not-doxxing/

The right-wing is throwing a predictable fit about the Post’s exposé of one of the most influential propaganda accounts on the internet.

Desperate to deflect from valid concerns that its reckless accusations of pedophilia are marking their targets for violence, the right-wing is now denouncing routine journalism as a form of doxxing.

Taylor Lorenz revealed that the author of the notoriously homophobic “Libs of TikTok” account is a woman named Chaya Raichik.

The Twitter feed curates videos of teachers speaking about sex and gender. She adds hateful commentary baselessly accusing them of being “groomers,” tagging their school districts, and openly agitating to get them fired. The creator gloats about destroying their lives.

“To me, the most powerful part of it is exposing the teachers,” Raichik told Fox in December 2021. “When there’s actually action taken, when a teacher gets fired or suspended, it’s a really great feeling.”

Lorenz backed up a damning digital trail establishing Raichik’s identity with shoe-leather reporting to confirm Raichik was indeed the woman behind the account. Faced with overwhelming evidence, Raichik admitted authorship and set about fundraising off her fake victimhood.

The facts are unassailable, so the rightwing can only launch frivolous attacks on her journalistic ethics for – wait for it – door-knocking.

This argument scarcely merits a response.

Lorenz’s critics know perfectly well that door-knocking is a standard reporting tactic. A slightly more sophisticated version of this argument is that door-knocking is OK in principle, but it was wrong to use it on Raichik. She’s just a humble Brooklyn realtor with a passion for homophobia, a private citizen who has the right to remain anonymous.

“Is it now permissible for journalists to investigate and expose the real identity of any anonymous social media user?,” tweeted Glenn Greenwald, a frequent Tucker Carlson guest. “Or is it just permissible if the anonymous social media user has a certain kind of politics?”

Raichik’s own words demolish that argument.

She told the New York Post in February she quit her job and moved to California to pursue Libs of TikTok full-time. In the same interview, she likened her project to that of the notorious operatives at Project Veritas, who wage ideological warfare with covertly recorded videos.

Like Veritas, Raichik has at times identified herself as a journalist and appeared repeatedly as a guest on Fox News prior to her unmasking.

Like most political operatives, Raichik would prefer to operate in the shadows, but the press has no obligation to keep her secrets. Indeed, the responsibility of journalists is to hold power to account.

Libs of TikTok wields power due to its stature in right-wing media and politics as well as its enormous social media footprint.The account has over 900,000 followers, as of this writing. Raichik has power not only over the lives and careers of teachers whom she has smeared as pedophiles, but also over our national discourse and even legislation.

The account serves as a clearinghouse for videos of teachers advocating for sex education and LGBTQ rights. These are a vital resource in the rightwing’s primary domestic policy agenda: demolishing LGBTQ rights as well as the very concept of public education by accusing people they don’t like of being pedophiles.

Libs of TikTik supplies an endless stream of pretexts for “Don’t Say Gay” bills, such as the one Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law last month. DeSantis’s press secretary Christina Pushaw promotes Libs of TikTok frequently from her official account.

Fox has effectively outsourced the grubby work of finding a new Main Character for each day’s culture war to Libs of TikTok. Fox regularly runs packages sourced to clips publicized by Raichik. Fox flagship host Tucker Carlson even proclaimed Raichik’s “journalism” more trustworthy than that of the Times.

Libs of TikTok is rightly criticized for exposing private citizens to harassment and potential violence. The right is trying to neutralize attacks by creating an equivalence between reporting on right-wing operatives and falsely accusing private citizens of being pedophiles.

It’d be funny if it weren’t so dangerous.

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