Far-right activist Chaya Raichik divides her time between California, where she is registered to vote, and Florida, where she frequently travels. But Oklahoma, a state she has only visited once, is where she may be having the greatest impact right now.
Raichik, who runs the social media account Libs of TikTok, has amassed millions of followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, primarily by targeting LGBTQ+ people.
She was appointed to the Oklahoma Library Media Advisory Committee last month by Republican schools superintendent Ryan Walters, a former history teacher known as “the state’s top culture warrior” for his opposition to teachers’ unions and other conservative targets, such as LGBTQ+ student rights.
Chaya Raichik is under fire after Oklahoma students-death
Since her appointment, Raichik has attempted to remove books depicting gay and transgender people, as well as sex education, from public school libraries, claiming she has discovered “porn” in various districts. However, her growing role in the state has received increased attention since Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student, collapsed and died the day after a fight in a girls’ bathroom at Owasso High School in suburban Tulsa on February 7. According to family members, Benedict had been bullied for months because he was openly nonbinary.
According to preliminary information from the medical examiner, Benedict did not die as a result of physical trauma. The department is awaiting the results of toxicology testing to determine the cause of death. Benedict’s parents have questioned the conclusion. Meanwhile, gay rights supporters in Oklahoma and elsewhere have continued to blame Benedict’s death on the fight, accusing Raichik of sharing some responsibility.
On Thursday, Oklahoma City Councilor Sean Cummings (D) blasted Raichik for inciting anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the state, claiming she has “blood on her hands.” Matt Bernstein, a 25-year-old LGBTQ+ content creator in New York who has been targeted by Raichik, added, “I’m just hearing constantly how Chaya Raichik specifically has caused a rift in the experience of being a queer high-schooler in America.”
“When Libs of TikTok posts, threats increasingly follow”
Raichik, known as the “Libs of TikTok,” has been accused of inciting bomb threats, property damage, shooting threats, written and verbal harassment, and other forms of violence against individuals, hospitals, and schools across the country, including Oklahoma, according to GLAAD, a nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocacy group. Her X profile picture shows her holding a newspaper that reads: “When Libs of TikTok posts, threats increasingly follow.”
Raichik smiled and said she’s proud to be called a stochastic terrorist — someone who inspires supporters to commit violence by demonizing someone or something.
“Honestly, like, that makes me feel really important,” Raichik went on to say.
In an hour-long interview with a Washington Post reporter at a Los Angeles coffee shop on Thursday, Raichik said that “bomb threats are bad” and that “people who call in bomb threats should be arrested.” But she continued, “I just don’t know — what does it have to do with me?”
Raichik has had a significant impact on the state’s educators despite her limited time there
The founder of ‘Libs of TikTok’ described Benedict’s death as “very tragic” and “horrible,” but she believes nonbinary people should not be allowed to receive certain gender-affirming care.
Raichik, who serves on the Oklahoma Library Advisory Committee, said she has only visited the state once, in September, to meet with Walters. She tried to speak up at a school board meeting to inquire about a high school principal who performed as a drag queen, but the board denied her request.
Despite her brief tenure, she has made a notable impression on the educators in the state. She said she became involved in Oklahoma politics after meeting LGBTQ+ teachers online. Oklahomans, on the other hand, “unfortunately have a lot of wokeness in a red state, and I’m trying to help,” she told the crowd.
In August, Raichik posted about an elementary school librarian in Tulsa who had a TikTok video with a graphic that said, “POV: Teachers in your state are dropping like flies, but you are still just not quite finished pushing your woke agenda at the public school.” Raichik shared the edited video, which included the librarian’s name and school. Soon after, the school received a bomb threat.
Walters, the state’s top school administrator, retweeted Raichik’s post. His office did not return requests for comment. Raichik announced his appointment to the library board on Facebook, writing, “No one has done more to expose what the radical left is all about than @ChayaRaichik10 and @libsoftiktok.”
Chaya Raichik previously worked as a real estate salesperson in Brooklyn
Raichik previously worked as a real estate salesperson in Brooklyn before becoming well-known online. She started the Twitter account that would later become Libs of TikTok in November 2020. After attending the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the United States Capitol, she gained an audience by promoting coronavirus denial and false stories about child sex trafficking, as well as casting doubt on the 2020 presidential election results.
Her X account was quickly promoted by prominent right-wing influencers and podcasters, including Joe Rogan. Seth Dillon, the founder of Babylon Bee, a satirical conservative news site, provided funding, allowing her to leave her real estate career and focus solely on growing the account. (On Thursday, Dillon tweeted that he had parted ways with Raichik and that the two were “no longer working together.” Raichik informed The Post that they had parted ways for “personal reasons.”
Raichik’s attacks on LGBTQ+ people escalated in 2021 and 2022. She argued that any teacher who comes out as gay to their students should be “fired on the spot.” She urged her followers to contact schools that were allowing “boys in the girls’ bathrooms” and promoted the false claim that schools were installing litter boxes in bathrooms for children who identified as cats.