March 9, 2024 - 2:00pm
The social media account Libs of TikTok (LOTT) has grown into a major player in American politics, and it is even influencing Democratic senators.
Pennsylvania senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey withdrew their request for $1 million in federal funding for an LGBT community centre this week after a LOTT tweet revealed that the venue allows its space to be used for BDSM and kink-themed “play parties”. The post, shared by Republican members of Congress, has so far received 4.7 million views.
The swift backlash was enough to persuade both senators to drop the funding request, with Fetterman saying he expected Republicans to kill the funding if he didn’t reluctantly pull the request himself. “I’m new here, but I wasn’t aware that Democratic values and priorities are dictated by Libs of TikTok,” the politician wrote.
This episode serves as the culmination of LOTT’s slow transition from online personality to major political influencer. The account, run by Chaya Raichik, first rose to national prominence in 2022, with Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan sharing her posts on air. LOTT’s output focused on videos shared by school teachers’ own social media accounts, describing the ways they bring identity politics, particularly on LGBT issues, into their classrooms while teaching young students.
Those clips played a major role in dictating the tone of the culture wars from 2022, as parents became increasingly concerned about sexually explicit content being taught to schoolchildren. Numerous school boards flipped from Democratic to Republican control that year, with Covid policies and LGBT curriculum debates driving much of the fight.
Raichik has claimed responsibility for multiple teachers losing their jobs after she shared their videos to her massive audience. For example, one teacher was fired after LOTT shared photos showing her allegedly filming OnlyFans content in the classroom. Another resigned just this week after a LOTT post drew attention to him wearing a pink dress to school on Valentine’s Day.
Until recently, the account primarily influenced Republicans. It was widely credited with inspiring a wave of state legislation restricting school lessons on gender and sexuality, most notably Florida’s 2022 Parental Rights in Education law.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s press secretary, Christina Pushaw, frequently shared and interacted with LOTT posts in the months preceding the passage of the legislation, much to the chagrin of progressive activists. Pushaw recommended following LOTT in multiple tweets, and credited the account with “opening [her] eyes” about teachers discussing sex and LGBT issues with children.
Buoyed by her larger profile, Raichik went on to be a speaker at CPAC in 2023. More recently, she was appointed to Oklahoma’s library media advisory committee after her account drew attention to several books marketed to young adults which contain graphic illustrations of sex acts. LOTT’s influence is, by all appearances, poised to keep growing.
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It’s all out there… she is just shining the light.
I very much doubt the Florida legislation was driven by LOTT. Much more likely that during lockdowns parents across the U.S. became aware of what was happening in the classroom.
At this rate, we’ll all be wondering why there was so much pushback against Thatcher’s ‘infamous’ Clause 28.
I’m an alphabet person myself but am frankly staggered and appalled at how far this has gone in the other direction.
Apparently, one of the recommended books for infants in Scotland (where educational standards are falling faster than Isla Bryson’s leggings) is the thrilling read ‘Julian is a Mermaid ‘ (he’s not white either natch and probably neuro-diverse to boot). This was described as ‘Celebratory and groundbreaking’ by the Sunday Times no less.
Oh, please, please bring back Enid Blyton, Janet and John…..
And hanging.
Please post more often.
I am not an alphabet person, just a normal woman who has been married to the same man for more than two decades, but I am delighted that more and more homosexual and bisexual people are seeing through this utter travesty, which is a threat to their communities as well, and are joining us in battling the insanity.
I too grew up with Enid Blyton (Famous Five, The Secret Seven, Mallory Towers, and of course, The Twins at St Clare’s), and wholeheartedly agree that these books were wholesome, educational, and enjoyable. The Famous Five even had a tomboy, Georgina, who calls herself George and prefers to wear trousers and shorts. Enid later revealed that Georgina was autobiographic. Even back then girls and women defied stereotypical notions of dressing and behaviour without ever claiming or believing that this made them male. I am constantly reminded of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether “ — a tale in which the patients have taken over the running of a mental institution — and am hoping for one of the staff to return and restore order!
P.S. I agree with you on hanging, too.
Of course Republicans are creating policy based on social media – that’s just how stupid they are!
You’re the type of clowns that think Donald Trump is a christian and that Bridget Zeigler (look her up!) and the phonies she represents are anything but astroturf extremists.
As opposed to rational policies like open borders, net zero and mastectomies for 14 year old girls. These are all rational, moderate policies. Got it.
Only one of those is a policy, Jimbo. Can you work out which?!?! Go on – I’ll time you!
How do I counter such a dishonest or utterly ill informed comment? You’re a wall of ignorance, hubris and condescension. I know I’ll regret this, but here I go:
Biden overturned the remain in Mexico policy almost immediately after entering office. Border agents have become processing officers. They don’t turn people away from the border. Maduro in Venezuela is emptying his prisons and sending them up to the border.
Biden has explicitly stated on many occasions that DEI is a “whole of govt” effort, to be infused in all govt policies.
And we all know about net zero.
I feel creepy for responding in this way because you’re so utterly bereft of honest discourse.
“How do I counter such a dishonest or utterly ill informed comment?”
You don’t :-). Every word is wasted. He/she/it is one of UnHerd’s resident trolls. I guess every forum attracts at least one, and it is truly a pity that sunlight doesn’t turn them to stone. The best, and really only, approach is to ignore them. Don’t feed trolls.
“You’re a wall of ignorance, hubris and condescension.”
Of course. You can also add hypocrisy to that list. It’s already in the name. Preaches water for others, but believes in champagne for himself.
Champagne Socialist, whether by choice or accident, is a parody.
Perhaps it used to be ‘Socialist Warrior’ on the Spectator BTL comments. That one packed up its water pistols and went away.
Good point. I think that one didn’t get the validation it was so desperately seeking. Trolls require feeding, and lack of engagement is like sunlight: it petrifies them.
All things are changing as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube have lost their death-grip on ‘Truth’ they acquired during covid – and then the public found this out, as it was so egregious and utterly Orwellian, they seek out real information. Now we have Truth Social, Rumble, Locals, X, and some others on the side of freedom of speech.
(Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft are all NSA/CIA originated by the funding early, and mentoring – they have such vast economic ties to the USA Fed contract $, and threats of Congress breaking them up, they do as told – which is collecting data on people, and disseminating propaganda, till Musk broke Twitter off)
Personally I mostly watch ‘Rumble’, the censor free youtubish channel. There I like the ‘Salty Cracker’ for the most radically anti woke, hour and half, rant against lefty-liberalism anywhere on the internet.
I like Viva Frei, I Love ‘The Duran’ and ‘Alexander Mercurious’ for their Truth on the horrors of the Ukrainian and Gaza wars (whatever the Telegraph of other MSM say – the opposite is the truth), Tucker Carlson, and for the more extreme take on the news – Redacted (but they go a bit far). For Right news – but center Right, Megyn Kelly, and Kim Iversen are good – for MAGA is Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon ‘War Room’
Like Libs of Tic-Yoc, the independent media is about to break the fas* ist Main Stream Media. (fas* ist = collusion of Government and industry)
I like Scott Adams and Styxhexenhammer.
This explains a lot!
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. This is a good reason for why God sent the aids epidemic.
What an awful, gross, creepy comment.
Pretty standard conservative talking point, Jimster. These are your people!
WB is a hate-filled person. I remember his profile photo from before, and he would do well to remember what the Bible says about gluttony!
FFS
What a silly sausage God must be; the vast majority of those who have died from AIDS to date have been heterosexual.
Beliefs rooted in the Bible or the World Professional Association for Transgender Health are different sides of the same coin. It’s all based on faith – not reasoned, researched, logical arguments. I believe in God and understand the social value of religion, but using the Bible to justify bigoted attitudes is one of the many reasons people in the west have turned their back on religion.
Hold on. Religion from a sociological viewpoint can be seen as collective wisdom acquired through thousands of years of observation. This is why one often sees common moral patterns. Discernment of this collective wisdom is needed, however it is arrogant to quickly dismiss ancient people outright.
Not sure what you mean. I understand the social value of religion.
And the lowest risk group were lesbians
Excellent point.
Because lesbianism is a French invention?
You are correct but it’s initial global spread was through promiscuous gay men. Without this initial expansion it may not have spread as rapidly or widely. See https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/history/hiv-and-aids-timeline
God has commanded what is true; His thoughts are beyond man’s understanding. No need to go into His thinking and ascribe specific ‘punishments’. It is enough that He has commanded.
That Leviticus verse sounds like just like Hamas. What a pity the Bible includes stuff like this, because it reduces its legitimacy as a tract relevant to large scale urban societies where “live and let live” is paramount.
Well, we still hadn’t got the message after He sent us influenza and cholera and Bubonic plague and chickenpox and gonorrhea and rota-virus and leukemia and all the others. We’ll work it eventually; that’s just the price He pays for being so enigmatic.
With all due respect when you catch gonorrhea it is a genuine wake-up call.
Preach, William, preach!
This is what conservatives believe – the world should never forget it…
Preach, Poo Fash, preach!
This is what woke Nazis believe – the world should never forget it…
Please explain why protecting children from sexually explicit age inappropriate books and activities.
I’m autistic so when I encounter something new, I research it. It does take much time digging to find deeper and deeper layers of depravity. You realize there isn’t a bottom to the depravity. LOTT is just posting the surface stuff. It gets a lot worse.
Great. There’s too many teachers using the classroom as an exhibitionist space for their sexual peccadillos, with no repercussions.
Sanctimonious cow.