Libs of TikTok Temporarily Removed From ADL's Glossary of Extremism Amid Threats

The Anti-Defamation League has temporarily removed Chaya Raichik and her anti-LGBTQ+ Libs of TikTok account from its “Glossary of Extremism.”

The Friday decision came after Raichik’s demand to expunge her name from the glossary, a move she publicly announced on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Earlier in the week, Raichik had threatened the organization with unspecified legal action if it didn’t remove her from the glossary before Tuesday.

In a post announcing her removal from the list on X, Raichik proclaimed, “BREAKING: The ADL finally caved after immense pressure and threats of legal action and REMOVED my name from their Glossary of Extremism!”

She added, “Just goes to show that the ADL knows I’m not a violent extremist. The decision to put me on their ‘Glossary of Extremism’ was all political theater. They’re a propaganda tool of the radical Left and they went too far with this.”

The ADL confirmed the temporary removal to The Advocate. A spokesperson for the organization explained, “While we maintain any potential litigation is meritless, we have temporarily removed the entry from our Glossary of Extremism while we continue to review the matter. Other material reflective of Libs of TikTok’s odious views about, and harmful impact to, the LGBTQ+ community remain on the ADL website.”

The Advocate also obtained a letter sent from the ADL’s chief legal officer, Steven Sheinberg, to Raichik via X direct message, part of which read:

“I understand that you have expressed concerns about your inclusion in the ADL Glossary of Extremism and have threatened legal action.

"As a preliminary matter, we disagree with your assertions that ADL has done anything defamatory or otherwise harmful to you. Our reporting and opinions are constitutionally protected, reflect your status as a public figure and are accurate.

"At the same time, we are not immune to criticism of our work, and take such feedback into consideration. Indeed, the Glossary of Extremism is an evolving resource and one we are presently reviewing in terms of brand, substance, and function including examining the mechanics of how materials are recommended to users. As a result, we will temporarily remove Libs of TikTok from the Glossary.

"This is not an endorsement of your body of writing and other material reflective of your odious views about, and harmful impact to, the LGBTQ+ community remain on the ADL website.”

An ADL spokesperson declined to clarify how long the review would take or what other organizations had been temporarily removed.

The standoff between Raichik and the ADL highlights a broader conversation on public rhetoric, online incitement, and real-world threats. The Libs of TikTok account, now with over 2.6 million followers, has been a lightning rod for controversy due to its anti-LGBTQ+ content, often inciting online harassment and real-world threats toward the spotlighted individuals or events.

Far-right influencers and followers of the Libs of TikTok account celebrated Raichik’s removal from the glossary, seeing it as a win for her and a legitimization of the anti-LGBTQ+ tone with which she engages her audience.

Before Raichik was removed from the ADL’s glossary, the organization described her and her social media account as “a popular anti-LGBTQ+ twitter account operated by former real estate agent Chaya Raichik. The account, which has over 1.3 million followers as of August 2022, attempts to generate outrage and stoke anti-LGBTQ+ hostility by reposting selected out-of-context social media content created by LGBTQ+ people and liberals. The individuals, events and organizations targeted by the account are frequent targets of harassment, threats and violence,” according to an archived version of the ADL’s “Glossary of Extremism.” After Raichik posted misinformation about gender-affirming care at Boston’s Children’s Hospital last fall, the medical center received bomb threats.

More recently, schools around the country received continued bomb threats after Raichik spotlighted them on Libs of TikTok. Raichik’s content has been severely criticized for perpetuating hateful narratives against transgender individuals and promoting targeted harassment.

Experts like Juliette Kayyem from Harvard’s Kennedy School have recognized the dangerous intersection of online hate and real-world violence as stochastic terrorism, a term that has been employed to describe the relationship between the online posts and the threats that follow.

Raichik’s removal from the glossary, albeit temporary, opens a new chapter in the ongoing discourse surrounding online hate and its transition into real-world terror.

The ADL still describes Raichik and Libs of TikTok as “anti-LGBTQ+ extremist” elsewhere on its site.