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Few Twitter accounts have been more successful and influential in the debate on the teaching of Gender Theory in schools than “Libs of TikTok”, whose reach has been rising within the conservative world because of the videos it publishes with complaints from parents or public information to fight against what it describes as “sexualization” of children in U.S. classrooms.
This account, which became iconic for the conservative world, is managing to influence the public debate by revealing and showing how today in the United States it has become practically normal for a teacher to talk to young students about inappropriate topics at early ages, such as self-identification or perception of their gender.
All this was achieved from anonymity, but reaching a national audience and capturing the attention of the main conservative media, such as Fox News, New York Post, or simply reaching the recognition of the most important conservative figures on the Internet, such as Joe Rogan.
However, this task can no longer be done anonymously, as Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz revealed the identity of the woman behind Libs of TikTok.
After developing an idea about how the progressive world views Libs of Tik Tok-as a far-reaching Internet account that inflames anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment on the right by influencing state legislatures-Lorenz wrote, “Chaya Raichik had been working as a real estate salesperson in Brooklyn when, in early November 2020, she created the account that would eventually become Libs of TikTok.”
In her reporting, Lorenz revealed that The Washington Post called one of her phone numbers and even visited her home.
Lorenz’s statement about going all the way to Chaya Raichik’s house is earning her harsh online criticism, especially after she went on national television a couple of weeks ago crying about the alleged online harassment she receives.
Also, according to freelance journalist Tim Pool, reporter Taylor Lorenz had linked “critical information that revealed the private address of the person who runs Libs of TikTok.” However, after a subsequent reaction to the publication, the newspaper removed the link without issuing a clarification. Lorenz told Pool that she did not disclose her home address.
Users claim Washington Post doxxed Libs of TikTok creator
Following the publication of her extensive reporting, Lorenz is being called a “hypocrite” for running a doxing campaign against the creator of Libs of Tik Tok.
“F*cking unbelievable: Taylor Lorenz, after sobbing on national TV 2 weeks ago, claiming she’s the victim of ‘harassment,’ showed up at the house of the relatives of the citizen behind Libs of Tik Tok and badgered them, according to Libs of Tik Tok. The bullies claim to be bullied,” tweeted journalist Gleen Greenwald, who dedicated a thread criticizing The Washington Post and its reporter for her hit piece against Chaya Raichik.
“I’ve reached out to The Washington Post to ask if they can confirm that Taylor Lorenz went to the homes of family members of Libs of Tik Tok. Here are the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethical guidelines on minimizing harm,” said Amber Athey, editor The Spectator World, attaching two screenshots of ethical standards Lorenz could possibly have violated by going to Raichik’s home.
Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Ron DeSantis, revealed that The Washington Post contacted her for comment on Libs of Tik Tok. Pushaw, after the article was published, sharply criticized Lorenz and the newspaper, claiming that in the story they wanted to victimize a high school teacher who said in TikTok, “If your parents don’t accept you for who you are, f*ck them. I’m your parents now.”
“Libs of TikTok got doxxed by the Washington Post for simply sharing videos that leftists had already posted to the internet,” said reporter Alana Mastrangelo of the conservative outlet Breitbart.
The revelation of Libs of Tik Tok’s name generated a huge backlash from the conservative world. Political figures such as Donald Trump Jr. came out in defense of the account and also against the WaPo.
“Wasn’t this psycho on tv 2 weeks ago actually crying about the exact type of behavior that seems to be her exact business model. If only she tried to report on real bad actors rather than a random personalities [sic] on social… but we know that won’t happen,” the former president’s son wrote, quoting, justly, a tweet from Libs of TikTok.
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
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