Libs of TikTok Attacks Queer Interior Employee for Attire
Libs of TikTok founder attacks Interior Department spokesperson Tyler Cherry over his appearance, but some online users come to his defense.
Online anti-LGBTQ activists attacked a federal employee on social media for a picture in which they appeared to be dressed in gender-nonconforming attire.
Chaya Raichik, the founder of the Libs of TikTok account, which seeks to expose the socially liberal excesses of the political Left, criticized Tyler Cherry, the communications director for the Secretary of the Interior, writing in a post on X, “Biden admin try not to hire total weirdos challenge = impossible.”
She linked to a tweet from another user who had highlighted anti-police rhetoric that Cherry had used in tweets dating back to 2015 and 2018.
Biden admin try not to hire total weirdos challenge = impossible https://t.co/50rXRBzNPK
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) October 5, 2023
Cherry, who is part of a queer DJ collective pushing for a nightlife scene in Washington, D.C., that is more accepting of variant gender expressions, is seen in his official photo with a mustache, a zebra-striped blazer, gold earrings, and what appears to be a mullet.
Raichik and the Libs of TikTok account posted several pictures of Cherry, including one of him in a lavender dress in what looks like a wedding photo, and referred to him as the “queer spokesperson” for the Department of the Interior.
Responding to one X user who wrote, “The weirdness is their primary — if not only — qualification,” Raichik replied, “Yup. And the confusion is the goal.”
In a reply to another user suggesting Cherry and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are connected, she wrote, “Too bad he can’t hang out with Sam Brinton anymore. I’m sure they would’ve hit it off,” referring to the former Biden Energy Department official who was accused of stealing luggage at various airports.
Too bad he can’t hang out with Sam Brinton anymore. I’m sure they would’ve hit it off
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) October 5, 2023
In another post referring to Cherry, Raichik asked, “How many sets of pronouns do you think he has?”
Cherry, who previously worked in Democratic politics in Arizona and at the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters for America, joined the Biden administration in January 2021, according to The Washington Post.
Raichik’s attacks on Cherry came less than a week after Interior Secretary Deb Haaland posted a video of herself with self-described “queer environmentalist” and drag queen Pattie Gonia, discussing the cultural importance of Stonewall National Monument in New York City, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, long considered one of the seminal moments of the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement.
The video drew immense criticism from anti-LGBTQ users, as well as some anti-transgender lesbians who believe drag is an art form mocking cisgender women.
Raichik and the Libs of TikTok account frequently attack LGBTQ visibility or expressions of LGBTQ identity, arguing that LGBTQ people are deviant, mentally ill, or seeking to “groom” children by exposing them to sexual content or gender-nonconformity before they are old enough to understand and reject it.
While several people egged Raichik on in her comments section, attacking Cherry for his looks, some others questioned why Raichik, seemingly unprompted, would attack another person for their looks or fashion aesthetic.
“He sounds AMAZING I wish I could vote for him for something and hire him to style my wardrobe and my apartment,” wrote one X user.
“You’re just homo/transphobic,” wrote a second user. “That’s all .that’s all you’re REALLY telling us …you should maybe think about how hateful you’re coming off and you’re an adult in 2023…like c’mon.”
“That guy is braver than anyone in the entire republican universe,” wrote a third. “Good for him. I’ll stand up for that every day.”
The White House responded to the attacks, releasing a statement defending Cherry from the online hate directed towards him.
“No one should be targeted simply for being themselves. It is cruel and unacceptable,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement first obtained by The Advocate. “This is an administration that believes to our core in the principle that out of many we are one — and we are proud that the people who serve in it reflect those values as well. Tyler is an invaluable member of our team who continues to deliver for the Department of Interior and the American people.”
The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, which advocates for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the ranks of the federal government, including through its “Political Appointments Program,” also came to Cherry’s defense.
“It is difficult to comprehend the immorality and wickedness of people who launch these attacks without understanding it is a tactic to drive qualified LGBTQ+ people out of public life,” Elliot Imse, the executive director of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, said in a statement.
“While this ugliness is damaging and disgusting, many more Americans stand with Tyler and other LGBTQ+ appointees than stand with these bigots. Tyler is a true public servant and it is great to see all the online love being sent their way.”
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