In an open letter, Oklahoma parents and advocacy groups are calling for Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik to “stay out of our state” and resign from her government appointment.
The letter, published Wednesday, is endorsed by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups Freedom Oklahoma, Free Mom Hugs Oklahoma, and the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Oklahoma chapter, as well as the Indigenous women’s advocacy group Matriarch. According to organizers, hundreds of Oklahoma parents also signed the document. The signatories say they were moved to action when Raichik — who was appointed to serve on a school library advisory committee in January, despite not being an Oklahoma resident — made a social media post last week asking her followers if she should visit the state. Raichick’s post came amid continuing outrage over the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict last month.
“We feel compelled to address the impact of your words and actions on our children and our families, and let you know you are not welcome in our state or near our children,” the letter informs Raichik, condemning her “dangerous obsession with spreading hate” towards LGBTQ+ communities. “As parents, we see firsthand the challenges, bigotry, and discrimination too many children face on a daily basis. And tragically, now we have seen violence.”
The letter accuses Raichik of having “created a hostile environment” that enabled incidents like Benedict’s death, both through her Libs of TikTok propaganda network and her recent appointment to the library committee. Raichik’s posts have preceded a series of bomb and death threats against schools around the country, with at least 11 schools reporting such threats in September 2023 alone. The letter also linked Raichik to the infamous anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Westboro Baptist Church, which announced it would protest Nex Benedict’s gender identity in Oklahoma three days after Raichik’s own post. (A handful of WBC members picketed outside Owasso High School on Wednesday, but were “vastly outnumbered” by counterprotestors, KTUL reported.)
“We demand that you resign from your position on the [Library Media Advisory] Committee immediately,” the signatories wrote. “You, and any organization that seeks to bring hate into Oklahoma, are not welcome in our state or in positions of authority and influence here.” Raichik herself appeared unfazed by the letter this week, further asking her followers if she should record herself reading it.
More than 350 civil rights organizations signed a similar open letter last week calling on Superintendent Ryan Walters, who appointed Raichik to the committee in January, to resign from his position as well. Walters, a former teacher who campaigned on a strict “anti-woke” platform, has also been closely linked to a far-right conservative podcaster from Owasso who advocated for violence against transgender youth.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed they will investigate Nex Benedict’s school in response to a formal complaint from HRC president Kelley Robinson. The investigation will focus on whether Owasso High School staff failed to adequately respond to bullying and harassment, DOE officials specified in their reply.
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