Libs of TikTok

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@libsoftiktok
File:SQSUN M6 400x400.jpg
Years active2020–present
Website@libsoftiktok on Twitter[1]

Libs of TikTok is a conservative Twitter account created by California-based real estate agent Chaya Raichik in 2020. The account primarily reposts content created by left-wing, liberal and LGBT TikTok users. It has over 674,000 followers and has become influential among conservatives.[2][3][4][5]

Background and history

Libs of Tiktok was created by California-based real estate agent Chaya Raichik in November 2020. Though previously unknown, Raichik was revealed as the account's creator in April 2022. Libs of Tiktok was previously a personal account with the handle @shaya69830552 and later @shaya_ray and @ChayaRaichik. Raichik then changed her handle to @cuomomustgo, focusing on demanding the resignation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and also promoting the attempted recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom. By March 2021, Raichik had changed the handle to @houseplantpotus, tweeting as a houseplant in the White House of U.S. President Joe Biden. After this parody account failed to gain much traction, the account finally became @libsoftiktok in April 2021. In August 2021, Joe Rogan began promoting the account on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, leading to a large increase in followers. Also in August, lawyer and Republican operative Grant Lally filed a trademark for Libs of TikTok as a "news reporter service."[2][3]

On April 13, 2022, Libs of TikTok was suspended from Twitter for 12 hours for "hateful conduct".[6] Hours after the account was reinstated, it was again suspended from Twitter for 12 hours. In response, Raichik said that "The good news is that I'm doing something right and making a difference" and that "The left obviously feels threatened by my account and as Tucker [Carlson] said last night, 'it was targeted because once you see what these people are saying, they discredit themselves.'"[7]

On April 19, 2022, The Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz published an exposé on Libs of TikTok that revealed the identity of the person behind the account as Chaya Raichik.[5] Conservatives criticized the exposure of Raichik as the account owner, accusing Lorenz of doxxing.[8][9] In response to the exposé, Libs of TikTok tweeted "Words cannot express how appreciative I am of the support I'm receiving right now. Thankfully I'm currently holed up in a safe location. I'm confident we will get through this and come out even stronger. Grateful for all the thoughts and prayers". Lorenz defended her reporting, saying "The woman behind Libs of TikTok is an influencer who knows she operates a powerful online media brand" and that "She's threatened copycats with takedowns (see below), filed a trademark for the name, and inked partnerships w/ other right wing media co.", and added that "Raichik isn't just some average woman w/ a social media account, she's a powerful influencer operating a massively impactful right wing media shaping the discourse around LGBTQ+ rights".[10]

Raichik claims to run the account alone and said she does not do it for "money or fame". She said she moved from New York to California to turn the account into her full-time job.[2] Libs of TikTok has expanded to other mainstream platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, as well as right-wing alternatives such as Rumble, Gab, and Gettr. For a short period of time, it had its own TikTok account, but that account was suspended for violating TikTok's community guidelines.[3]

Content

Libs of TikTok has largely focused on attempting to expose the promotion of transgender and LGBT ideology by teachers in American schools.[2][3][5] It has encouraged followers to contact schools that allowed "boys in the girls bathrooms". The account has claimed that being gender non-conforming is a "mental illness", that adults teaching children about LGBT identities is "abusive", and referred to schools as "government run indoctrination camps" for the LGBT community.[2][3]

Reception and impact

Libs of TikTok has been promoted by Joe Rogan and Glenn Greenwald. It has been featured in the New York Post, The Federalist, The Post Millennial, Fox News, and other right-wing news outlets. The account has been retweeted by Meghan McCain.[3] In speaking on the Parental Rights in Education bill (known as the Don't Say Gay bill by critics), Christina Pushaw credited the account for "opening her eyes" on LGBT education.[3]

Prior to being revealed as the account creator, Raichik was interviewed anonymously on several occasions, during which she boasted that the account has gotten several teachers fired, and encouraged followers to take over school boards in order to remove LGBT teachers who teach underage kids about sexualities and "gender identities".[3]

Ari Drennen, the LGBTQ program director for left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters for America, said that "Libs of TikTok is basically acting as a wire service for the broader right-wing media ecosystem" and that "It's been shaping public policy in a real way, and affecting teachers' ability to feel safe in their classrooms." Gillian Branstetter, a media strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union, said that "The role I've seen this account playing 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."[3]

References

  1. ^ Higgins, Emily (April 19, 2022). "Chaya Raichik - Verified Handles". Verified Handles. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Goforth, Claire (April 18, 2022). "Libs of TikTok—the influential, mystery Twitter account hailed by mainstream conservatives—attended Jan. 6 Capitol protest". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lorenz, Taylor (April 19, 2022). "Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right's outrage machine". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  4. ^ Quay, Grayson (April 19, 2022). "Conservatives complain of 'doxxing' after exposé reveals woman behind 'Libs of TikTok' account". The Week. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Bain, Ellissa (April 19, 2022). "Who is 'Libs of TikTok' and why is she trending this week?". HITC. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Twitter suspends conservative 'Libs of TikTok' account for 12 hours over 'hateful conduct'". Fox News. April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Creitz, Charles (April 15, 2022). "Libs of Tik Tok responds to second Twitter suspension hours after reinstatement: 'The left feels threatened'". Fox News. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Skolnik, Jon (April 19, 2022). "On Twitter, "Libs of TikTok" stokes culture wars outrage". Salon.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference rs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Jackson, Jon (April 19, 2022). "Libs of TikTok creator "holed up in safe location" after expose". Newsweek. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
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