Conservative social media influencer Chaya Raichik, known as Libs of TikTok, posted on X expressing her disapproval for events held at John Carroll University on April 1.
In the post, Raichik rallied her 4.3 million followers to condemn the latest JCU Period Fair, since “their Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion [CSDI] and LGBTQ Clubs claimed that periods are ‘not just for women’ and that they are ‘not a woman’s issue.’” In response to these statements, she said, “This school receives federal funding. They should be cut off immediately.”
The post was about an April 1 event where the JCU Wellness Center, in partnership with the LGBTQIA+ Alliance Club at John Carroll University, hosted a Period Fair. In a now-deleted social media post, CSDI commended the fair. The annual event focused on different aspects of menstrual health, for all those who may be effected by it. The original post celebrated the success of the event where CSDI at JCU mentioned they “were able to share information about period-related Gender Dysphoria and Period Poverty” about trans health concerns and the large cost of proper menstrual health as part of the pink tax.
Some followers commented on Raichik’s post distasteful slogans such as “make asylums great again” by Angie Smith of Florida or Michael Sallows, a Findlay, Ohio, businessman who asked if “Tampon Tim was one of the speakers.” This potentially referred to Tim Walz, who as of April 7 was scheduled to speak in Lorain, Ohio.
Though this rebuke of John Carroll’s CSDI team may seem fringe, some of her followers include major influences such as Joe Rogan, Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk, all of whom have been involved in either the Trump Administration or in the conservative media space.
In response, the CSDI, JCU Wellness and all departments at JCU have been instructed to hold off on posting on social media, as followers have flocked to JCU media pages to post disparaging comments and attack the institution.
The Carroll News has reached out to leaders within these organizations on campus for further comment, as well as to Raichik, but as of now, we are awaiting responses.
Anonymous • Apr 14, 2025 at 4:54 pm
Do we need to give this woman any more attention than she already gets? Spreading her hateful garbage around (and especially doing so uncritically) is just feeding into her behavior.
Michael Walsh • Apr 15, 2025 at 5:33 pm
As an independent journalism organization, we do value both perspectives as well as simply news. If interested, we would be more than happy to publish opinion pieces on the event that include those critical perspectives. The newsroom door and inboxes are always open to those looking to write. This piece though, focuses on informing readers about the event so they may make their minds up on their own.
Anon • Apr 14, 2025 at 12:00 pm
To anyone reading this article who’s angry about what CSDI did, please remember that they’re a student-run organization, and that the John Carroll administration doesn’t have anything to do with their activities. JCU is a place for the free expression of ideas, even if they conflict with Catholic or any other values.
I hope that CSDI’s social media post can be a bridge for civil and constructive discussion, and that we can all have empathy for those who might not understand our points of view.
rwm • Apr 9, 2025 at 6:11 pm
The inclusion of Tim Russert is incredibly speculative. Tim Walz was called that the entire campaign. A stretch and a bit rude to Russert.
Michael Walsh • Apr 9, 2025 at 6:38 pm
While it is understandable that this passage is disturbing, users commented similarly on JCU social media, asking if this was where “Tampon Tim went to college” which could imply a direct connection to JCU. That is where the analysis originates from, though the passage referring to Mr. Russert was amended.