White House condemns posts targeting LGBTQ Interior spokesman
The White House on Sunday condemned a conservative social media activist for ridiculing an openly-gay Interior Department official on the site X, describing her posts as “cruel and unacceptable.”
Chaya Raichik, who created the @libsoftiktok account on X, formerly known as Twitter, sparked a debate online this week after posting and reposting several times about Tyler Cherry, Interior’s principal deputy communications director. The posts appeared to criticize his appearance, referred to him as one of the “total weirdos” the Biden administration has hired, laughed at photos of him in a dress that the New York Times published in a piece on his wedding, and reposted another message that called him a “radical leftist.”
In addition to his work at Interior, Cherry is part of a queer DJ collective pushing for a more inclusive LGBTQ nightlife scene in Washington. He had joined the Biden administration during its first weeks in 2021, and previously worked in Democratic politics in Arizona and at the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America, according to his X and LinkedIn profiles.
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The White House called Cherry an “invaluable member of our team,” according to a statement first obtained by the Advocate, an LGBTQ+ magazine. Interior declined to comment.
“No one should be targeted simply for being themselves,” the statement said. “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.”
Raichik and the @LibsofTikTok account have nearly 3 million followers combined, and have been frequently cited by Tucker Carlson and other right-wing media figures. After gaining a large Twitter following in 2022 after calling on openly-gay teachers to stop teaching, Raichik began criticizing transgender medical treatment of young people at hospitals.
Raichik and the @libsoftiktok account did not respond to direct messages on X seeking comment, including questions about whether the posts targeted Cherry for his appearance. On Thursday afternoon, Raichik and the @libsoftiktok account posted several pictures of Cherry, referring to him as the “queer spokesperson” for Interior and, in one reply, asking “How many sets of pronouns do you think he has?”
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The @libsoftiktok post also included screenshots of years-old political posts that appeared to be from Cherry’s personal account from before he joined the Biden administration. The old posts criticized former president Donald Trump, along with other members of his administration, and commented on racism and other social issues.
It spurred other replies that called Cherry a disgrace or a “diversity hire.”
Several commenters on X came to Cherry’s defense, questioning why he would attract attention in the first place.
Raichik’s posts 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, which commemorates the LGBTQ civil rights movement.
Some critics, including tennis star Martina Navratilova who is a lesbian, questioned why the interior secretary would appear with the performer. Navratilova suggested that dressing in drag amounts to a “pathetic parody of women,” though some drag performers have been active in LGBTQ rights.
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