Legacy media outlets were quick to condone the exposure of the woman behind “Libs of Tik Tok.” What they didn’t mention was exactly what the educators, who got fired after the account posted their videos, were saying to children in their classrooms.
The Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz revealed the identity of the individual behind the “Libs of Tik Tok” account in an article published Tuesday. The article accuses “Libs of Tik Tok” of spreading “anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment” by causing teachers to lose their jobs over their own social media posts, although the article omits mention of the exact quotes that got the teachers fired. Media outlets, like Rolling Stone and The Advocate, expressed support for revealing the identity behind “Libs of Tik Tok,” but similarly do not mention the quotes in question.
The reality these media companies chose to hide was that the educators were dismissed, reassigned or forced to resign for everything from blaming kids for getting molested to suggesting people who didn’t get the vaccine should be slaughtered.
“Libs of Tik Tok” highlighted philosophy professor Dr. Stephen Kershnar of the State University of New York (SUNY), who was assigned new duties after the account shared a video of him stating that it was “not obvious” that sexual attraction to children was a bad thing.
“Imagine that an adult male wants to have sex with a 12-year-old girl, imagine that she is a willing participant,” Kershnar said in videos obtained by “Libs of Tik Tok.” “A very standard, very widely held view that there’s something deeply wrong about this and it’s wrong independent of it being criminalized. It’s not obvious to me that it is in fact wrong.”
Kershnar is the author of the 2015 book “Pedophilia and Adult–Child Sex: A Philosophical Analysis.” The book claims to look “at the moral status of such adult-child sex.”
In a statement, SUNY President Stephen H. Kolison, Jr. said he found the content of Kershnar’s video “abhorrent.” Kolison also said Kershnar would be assigned new duties that would not allow him on campus nor to interact with students.
Old Dominion University’s (ODU) Dr. Allyn Walker was placed on administrative leave for defending “Minor-Attracted People (MAPs).” Walker argued in an interview that the stigma surrounding MAPs is an issue. Walker instead put forth the idea that MAPs should undergo “affirming therapy” in order to develop “strategies for non-offending.”
ODU released a statement saying that Walker’s book and research led to student safety concerns and had “disrupted the campus and community environment.” As a result, Walker was placed on administrative leave in November, 2021.
General McLane School District’s Mollie Paige Mumau was fired for a Facebook post suggesting people who refused the COVID-19 vaccine should be shot, according to the Washington Times. Libs of Tik Tok shared a screenshot of Mumau’s Facebook post calling for the deaths of people with religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine in a now-deleted tweet.
“I don’t know why the GOP doesn’t just take those guns they profess to love so much and just start shooting all of their constituents who think this way,” Mumau said in the post. “It would be quicker and ultimately safer than putting me and my friends and family at risk.”
Transgender teacher Casey Anderson of Anacortes Schools was placed on administrative leave after sexualizing a cat-shaped tissue dispenser, according to “Libs of Tik Tok.” In a screenshot of a Facebook post shared by “Libs of Tik Tok,” Anderson stated that a student asked how to refill a “cat butt tissue dispenser.”
“I turn down the lights, put on some soft music, and use a LOT of vasoline,” Anderson continued in the post. She then said that she retrieved a container of petroleum jelly that she possessed “for…reasons…” and placed it next to the cat, after which point the “class took a turn.”
A Texas middle school teacher was placed on administrative leave after “Libs of Tik Tok” reposted a video of hers in which she stated that conservative Christians should “get Covid and die.” The teacher, identified as Lisa Grimes, blamed conservative Christians for lengthening the pandemic before wishing death upon them, according to the Blaze.
“These conservative Christians need to get covid and die” – Texas teacher pic.twitter.com/AuYqPEktLA
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 23, 2022
Kristin Pitzen, a high school teacher in California, made a Tik Tok showing that she removed the American Flag from her classroom because it made her feel “uncomfortable.” When students asked her what flag they should pledge allegiance to, she suggested the Pride Flag. Pitzen was placed on administrative leave during an investigation. “Libs of Tik Tok” shared Pitzen’s video in a now-deleted tweet, according to Pink News.
Lastly, an unnamed teacher from Hollow Hills school district in New York was reportedly placed on leave after he made a video threatening to throw a child at anyone who questioned the mask he was wearing. The teacher originally posted the vide on Instagram before it was shared in a now-deleted tweet by “Libs of Tik Tok.”
The one quote Lorenz did include from a teacher only served to mislead WaPo’s readers. Lorenz writes that Tyler Wrynn was “barraged with harassment and death threats” after he posted a video shared by “Libs of Tik Tok.” In the video, Wrynn tells “LGBTQ kids shunned by parents” that he is “proud of them.” But the statement that “Libs of Tik Tok” highlighted was “If your parents don’t accept you for who you are, fuck them. I’m your parents now.”
“Libs of Tik Tok” denies that her post cost the Wrynn his position, stating that that “he lost his job before I posted the video.” The school board accepted Wrynn’s resignation April 11, according to the Blaze.
Fact check: FALSE. He lost his job before I posted the video. I even included it in the caption. Stop lying. pic.twitter.com/2rt3bF2E1u
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 20, 2022
In the aftermath of the expose from Lorenz, Rolling Stone accused “terminally online conservatives” of having a “meltdown” over Lorenz’s article, while the Washington Post’s Senior Managing Editor Cameron Barr issued a statement describing Lorenz as “accomplished and diligent.”
Statement from @cameronbarr re: reporting from @TaylorLorenz pic.twitter.com/RsGw950t78
— Kristine Coratti Kelly (@kriscoratti) April 19, 2022
The Advocate, an LGBTQ+ news outlet, stated that Lorenz’s piece “broke conservative Twitter,” and that “Libs of Tik Tok” was a “right-wing social media troll.” (RELATED: ‘That’s Never Going To Happen’: Libs Of Tik Tok Creator Says She’s Not Backing Down After Washington Post Doxxing)
The Daily Caller reached out to Taylor Lorenz, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and The Advocate to see if the outlets were willing to defend the actual quotes that got these teachers in trouble. None but the Post responded.
“Our job is to help people understand all sides of the political debate – who’s influencing it and how and why – and our story on the Libs of TikTok account was part of this coverage,” Washington Post Senior Managing Editor Cameron Barr told the Daily Caller. “Readers deserve to know who is having an outsize impact on important issues, whether they are secretly funding candidates or lobbying politicians behind closed doors or posting anonymously on Twitter.”
