Trans Texas Teacher Resigns After Being Targeted By MAGA Account 'Libs Of TikTok'

Rosalyn Sandri, a transgender high school English teacher in Texas, revealed she was forced to resign from her position "for my safety and the safety of the students" following online death threats after being doxxed by the far-right "Libs of TikTok" account.

Sandri, an English teacher at Red Oak High School just south of Dallas for the past three years, resigned on Monday—Trans Day of Visibility—following a wave of death threats, hate mail, and violent messages. Her decision came shortly after Libs of TikTok circulated a TikTok video she had shared about feeling affirmed by her students.

Libs of TikTok stripped the video of context and deadnamed and misgendered Sandri before asking its millions of followers, “Would you feel comfortable with this person teaching your kid?”

The post rapidly gained traction, racking up nearly 6 million views and triggering backlash from anti-LGBTQ+ politicians. Among them was Republican Texas state Representative Brian Harrison, who demanded Sandri’s immediate removal and later claimed credit for helping to “deliver this victory.”

As Sandri told The Independent:

“It was a decision that broke my heart. It felt very defeating. But it felt it was the only thing I could do.” ...

“I want to speak out. Educate people. I am not afraid of Brian Harrison or Libs of TikTok. All they’ve done is make an activist out of me.”

Sandri said she was never informed by school administrators that she had violated any policies. She also stressed that she never discussed gender identity or pronouns in her classroom lessons:

“I never stood up in front of the classroom and came out. I just started dressing differently. When students asked, I told them they could call me whatever they were comfortable with.”

You can hear what she said in the video below.

According to NBC News, the Red Oak Independent School District placed Sandri on leave while it conducted a review, ultimately accepting her resignation.

When questioned about the decision, district spokesperson Beth Trimble declined to comment directly. An internal staff email obtained by NBC News reminded employees that speech which disrupts a teacher’s ability to perform their duties could lead to consequences. However, Trimble claimed the message was unrelated to Sandri’s resignation.

Many have condemned the move and spoken out in Sandri's defense.

Libs of TikTok is known for sharing conspiracy theories, homophobic and transphobic content, and anything that attacks liberals. It has recently helped set the agenda of right-wing discourse in attacks against public education and teachers.

Washington Post correspondent Taylor Lorenz identified the woman behind the account as Chaya Raichik, a Brooklyn Orthodox Jewish real estate agent, noting she had created the account in November 2020 and spent some time experimenting with Twitter handles before landing on the Libs of TikTok angle the following year.

Raichik used the account to share inflammatory content, such as a clip of a woman teaching sexual education to children in Kentucky she branded a "predator," a claim that quickly made its way to Fox News personality Laura Ingraham's program.

The account has also served as a space vital to the spread of conspiracy theories alleging teachers are "grooming" children and proceeding with an "indoctrination" campaign designed to make children more tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community.

Libs of TikTok has proven so popular, garnering a follower base of nearly 800,000, that it is "basically acting as a wire service for the broader right-wing media ecosystem," according to Ari Drennen, LGBTQ program director for the watchdog group Media Matters.