Libs of TikTok’s Chaya Raichik spreads transphobia and lies after Iowa shooting

Chaya Raichik, the woman behind the popular right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok, is facing criticism and condemnation for her anti-transgender views and comments following two recent shootings in the U.S.

Raichik, a former real estate agent from Brooklyn who now lives in Los Angeles, runs the Libs of TikTok account on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, where she reposts content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok, often with hostile, mocking or derogatory commentary. The account has over 2 million followers on Twitter and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right.

On January 1, 2024, a transgender man named Jesse James shot and killed four people and wounded two others at a Walmart store in Des Moines, Iowa. James left a manifesto in his car that expressed his anger and frustration with society and his hatred of cisgender people. The shooting sparked a debate on social media and in the media about the mental health and safety of transgender people, as well as the role of guns and hate speech in violence.

Raichik, however, did not show any compassion or concern for the victims or their families. Instead, she used the shooting as an opportunity to attack and ridicule transgender people and their supporters. She also accused the media of lying about the shooter’s identity and motives and claimed that he was a woman pretending to be a man.

Raichik’s response drew widespread outrage and disgust from many people, who accused her of being heartless, hateful and irresponsible. Some also called for her account to be suspended or banned from social media platforms for promoting hate speech and misinformation that could incite violence against transgender people.

Raichik also faced backlash for another tweet she posted on January 3, 2024, in which she falsely accused a transgender woman named Arianna Jones of being the shooter who killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. Jones was actually a victim of a different shooting that happened in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 19, 2023, when she was shot and killed by a man named Matthew Walsh, who had posted anti-transgender messages on social media and claimed to be a follower of Libs of TikTok.

Raichik’s tweet was widely condemned as a malicious and baseless lie that slandered the memory of Jones and exploited the tragedy of Uvalde. Raichik did not delete or apologize for her tweet, despite a community note from Twitter that flagged it as misleading and potentially harmful information. Raichik also did not express any sympathy or remorse for the Uvalde shooting, which was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history and one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.

Raichik’s tweet also drew attention to the possible link between Libs of TikTok and the Uvalde shooter, who was identified as an 18-year-old student at Uvalde High School. The shooter, whose name has not been released by authorities, used an AR-15-style rifle to carry out the massacre and was found dead at the scene. Investigators found evidence that the shooter was a follower of Libs of TikTok and was influenced by its anti-transgender rhetoric and misinformation, especially relating to medical care of transgender children.

Raichik has not commented on the Uvalde shooter’s connection to her account or the allegations that her account contributed to the radicalization and violence of the shooter.

In addition to mocking people who are reaching out to her for clarification about her statements, Raichik has also not addressed the calls for accountability and justice from the families of the Uvalde victims and the survivors of the shooting, who have sued Raichik and Libs of TikTok for defamation, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.