Right-wing activist behind ‘Libs of TikTok’ appointed to state post advising on school libraries

‘Chaya is on the front lines showing the world exactly what the radical left is all about — lowering standards, porn in schools, and pushing woke indoctrination on our kids,’ Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction says

The right-wing activist behind the X account “Libs of TikTok” has been appointed to a post in Oklahoma advising on school libraries.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters appointed Chaya Raichick to the state’s library media advisory committee at the Oklahoma Department of Education.

Ms Raichick posts videos on the platform formerly known as Twitter often attempting to portray LGBT+ educators in a negative light, describing them as “groomers” and “indoctrinators,” HuffPost noted.

In a statement shared on Tuesday, Mr Walters said: “No one has done more to expose what the radical left is all about than @ChayaRaichik10 and @libsoftiktok. Her’s [sic] is a powerful voice to protect Oklahoma kids from porn in schools and woke indoctrination. I’m proud to have her on our team.”

He argued that “Chaya is on the front lines showing the world exactly what the radical left is all about — lowering standards, porn in schools, and pushing woke indoctrination on our kids”.

“Because of her work, families across the country know just what is going on in schools around the country,” he added. “Her unique perspective is invaluable as part of my plan to make Oklahoma schools safer for kids and friendly to parents.”

“Chaya has a much-needed and powerful voice as well as a tremendous platform that will benefit Oklahoma students and their families,” he claimed.

Social conservatives across the US have made it one of the main priorities in what they see as they battle with the progressive left to remove books from libraries that feature LGBT+ characters, themes, or concepts, in addition to some books covering issues such as racism.

Chaya Raichik attends the DailyWire+ Red Carpet Premiere of "Lady Ballers" on November 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee (Getty Images for Bentkey Venture)

Rightwingers have compared these books to porn, arguing that they’re unsuitable for children.

Since 2021, Ms Raichik has been posting videos criticizing educators, claiming that they were indoctrinating children. Meanwhile, Mr Walters has been bashing teachers in his own state, making baseless claims regarding graphic and sexually explicit material being used in schools, starting when he was the state’s secretary of education under Governor Kevin Stitt.

Ms Raichik’s posts have previously prompted bomb threats to be aimed at Oklahoma schools. She shared a video in August of a librarian in a school district outside Tulsa, trivializing the panic among conservatives about the “woke agenda” they believe is being pushed by teachers.

“Woke ideology is real and I am here to stop it,” Ms Raichik commented when reposting the video. The school started to get bomb threats that very day, NBC News reported.

Also in August, an elementary school in California with mostly white students was evacuated after getting bomb threats after Ms Raichik shared her criticism of a playdate event for students of colour at the school.

Similarly, in November, an Iowa public school district faced a litany of threats after Ms Raichik shared a video of a teacher making a joke about “forcing” students to be gay, HuffPost noted.