Skip to main content
  • Online media
  • Tariffs
  • Epstein
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Media Matters for America

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Media Matters for America

  • Nav
  • Search
  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives
  • Online media
  • Tariffs
  • Epstein
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Libs of TikTok

Andrea Austria / Media Matters

Libs of TikTok creator accuses innocent person of Uvalde shooting to push anti-trans conspiracy theory

The bogus claim originated as a 4chan hoax

Special Programs LGBTQ

Written by Ari Drennen

Research contributions from Courtney Hagle

Published 01/05/24 1:13 PM EST

On the afternoon of January 4, Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik shared a meme on X suggesting that multiple recent school shooters have been transgender. Raichik added the claim — spreading rapidly among anti-trans accounts — that the alleged perpetrator of a shooting in an Iowa school that day identified as “genderfluid,” adding, “What’s going on?”

But one of the photos in the meme Raichik shared — supposedly of the shooter in the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting — was of an innocent woman. 

Far-right 4chan trolls had originally shared photos of an unrelated trans woman, identified by NBC News only as “Sam,” to claim that she had perpetrated the massacre. The actual shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was killed on the scene by police. 

This is not the first time Libs of TikTok has spread demonstrably false anti-LGBTQ hoaxes. The account previously shared doctored footage to suggest that a drag performer exposed themself inappropriately to minors as well as a debunked hoax about schools providing kitty litter to students identifying as animals. And Media Matters has documented at least 35 instances where the targets of Libs of TikTok posts, including teachers, medical providers, and librarians, later received threats or harassment online. 

When the false Uvalde photo first circulated, Daily Wire personality Candace Owens, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones were among those who shared or referenced the claim. Jones was previously sued for defamation for inaccurately accusing Massachusetts resident Marcel Fontaine of committing the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In the suit, Fontaine argued that Jones’ publication InfoWars had published a since-deleted article linking Fontaine with the shooting, which led to threats and online ridicule. Although Fontaine has since died, the lawsuit remains ongoing.  

Trans people are no more likely than any other group to commit mass shootings, based on a review of more than 2,830 shootings with four or more victims between 2018 and 2023. The UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute estimates that just 0.6% of Americans over the age of 13 are transgender, and it reports that they are four times more likely to experience violent crimes than their cisgender peers. More than 30 killings of trans people were documented in the U.S. in the past year. The victims include Meghan Riley Lewis, 57, of Bel Air, Maryland, who reports say was killed outside her home on December 27 by a delivery driver who shouted anti-trans comments at her before fatally shooting her. 

The Latest

  1. Fox senior political analyst Brit Hume: Trump “got played by Putin and it dragged on for months”

    Video & Audio 07/14/25 7:39 PM EDT

  2. Matt Walsh on Epstein files: “There just is no option that allows you to just, you know, vindicate the Trump administration entirely”

    Video & Audio 07/14/25 3:46 PM EDT

  3. Media Matters files for preliminary injunction to block FTC’s retaliatory investigation

    Article 07/14/25 3:26 PM EDT

  4. Alex Jones alleges “Trumpworld surrogates” are threatening to “cut off” MAGA influencers over the Epstein story

    Video & Audio 07/14/25 2:27 PM EDT

  5. Roger Stone and Benny Johnson urge Steve Bannon to release Epstein footage

    Video & Audio 07/14/25 2:17 PM EDT

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹‹
  • …
  • Current page 10
  • …
  • Next page ››

In This Article

  • Libs of TikTok

    LoTT

Related

  1. After the death of transgender Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict, broadcast and cable news coverage held right-wing figures to account for anti-trans rhetoric

    Research/Study 05/13/25 1:03 PM EDT

  2. For right-wing media, free speech in the classroom is reserved for anti-trans teachers

    Research/Study 04/18/25 10:50 AM EDT

  3. After Trump’s barrage of anti-transgender executive orders, right-wing media attack newly named trans sanctuary city

    Research/Study 03/05/25 2:56 PM EST

Media Matters for America

Sign up for email updates
  • About
  • Contact
  • Corrections
  • Submissions
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS

© 2025 Media Matters for America

RSS