Shopify: Drop Anti-LGBTQ+ hate group from your service

"Libs of TikTok" is a very large social media account run by Chaya Raichik - and she also maintains a store through Ottawa-based Shopify.

Rather than try to describe Raichik and her work, let's just review her own words and news coverage:

- She has openly described herself as a "stochastic terrorist" on her Twitter profile. [1]
- On Tucker Carlson's show, she said: "The LGBTQ community has become this cult" and "they brainwash people to join". She went on to say "It's unlike anything we've ever seen I think. It's extremely poisonous." Prompted by Carlson to explain why, she said - and I want to stress that I have copied the quote here in its entirety and verbatim - "I think they're evil. And sometimes we try to break it down a lot, we discuss why this is happening, what's happening and whatever, and I think sometimes the simplest answer is, like, they're just evil. They're bad people. They're just evil people. And they want to groom kids. They're recruiting." [2]
- She made national headlines after her account shared false information about gender-affirming care at Boston Children's hospital, which then received a massive volume of hate mail, threatening phone calls, and a bomb threat. This followed earlier incidents where her account tweeted about a children's hospital in Nebraska which hosted an information booth at a Pride event, and another instance where the account tweeted about a children's hospital in Pittsburgh which had created an informational video about puberty blockers - in both cases, these tweets were followed by waves of harassment directed to those hospitals accounts, and received comments such as "Pedophiles" and "We will destroy you". [3]

The "pedophiles" comment may refer to Raichik's constant use of the word "grooming" to imply that any time LGBTQ+ people are in any way visible to children, they are "grooming" those children to become LGBTQ+. The Anti-Defamation League has explained that this is a false and malicious narrative, with the term "groomer" weaponized to equate LGBTQ+ people with pedophiles and demonize them. [4]

It is this weaponized, malicious term which adorns all of the products that Raichik sells through Shopify. [5]

Shopify has a clear policy against stores that promote hate, under which it has removed stores and products from groups like Proud Boys, QAnon, even former President Trump. [6] Raichik isn't slipping under the radar, though; Shopify is well aware of her account, and has indicated that it won't withdraw her store, and accepts businesses "with various worldviews". [7]

However, the founder of Check My Ads, an adtech disinformation watchdog, has reported that multiple sources have indicated to her that the COO of Shopify, Kaz Nejatian, was personally stepping in to protect certain Spotify accounts. [8] Nejatian is no stranger to right-wing politics; he was formerly a staffer in Immigration Minister (and later Alberta Premier) Jason Kenney's office. [9] He is also one of the original board members of the True North Centre for Public Policy, a digital media platform which partnered with Rebel Media to take the Trudeau government to court, and whose Editor-In-Chief is Candice Malcom - Nejatian's spouse. [10]

Despite the above reporting, we can't know the real reason Shopify continues to allow Raichik to sell her merchandise prominently labeled with a term that the ADL reports is used explicitly to demonize the LGBTQ+ community, and which the ADL also confirms leads to targeted violence and harassment (harassment and bullying are against the Shopify Acceptable Use Policy, as is promoting or condoning hate or violence against people based on gender, sexual orientation, or "other forms of discriminatory intolerance".

What we can know is this: Chaya Raichik openly calls the LGBTQ+ community "evil people".

We know she uses her very large platform to spread demonstrably false information about the LGBTQ+ community.

We know that when she does, targeted harassment and threats have been shown to follow.

And we know that Shopify is providing her with the means to make money from her actions.

It's time for Shopify to make up their minds. Either they lose Raichik's business - or they lose ours.

Sign the petition calling on Shopify to end their business relationship with Raichik and close her store. On March 1st, we will deliver the petition to Shopify and give them one month to close the account. If they do not do so by March 31st - International Transgender Day of Visibility - we will launch a nationwide boycott campaign, targeting Shopify and its top customers.

Raichik is based in the US. Maybe she thinks that using a Canadian company helps insulate her from responses by her US-based critics. Maybe she's right.

But this is *our* turf. And in the Canada we work towards, hate is not a for-profit enterprise. We will not stand aside while the LGBTQ+ community is under attack.

It starts by signing your name. It ends by taking Raichik's store off of Shopify - and rising up, together, for decency, dignity, and solidarity.

[1] https://xtramagazine.com/culture/shopify-selling-hate-libs-of-tiktok-241436
[2] https://twitter.com/Esqueer_/status/1607741993089892353?s=20&t=MhqVf1QRma__2Nfw35P9ig
[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/boston-childrens-hospital-warns-employees-far-right-online-harassment-rcna43376
[4] https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/what-grooming-truth-behind-dangerous-bigoted-lie-targeting-lgbtq-community
[5] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lgbtq-activists-libs-of-tik-tok-shopify-1.6662359
[6] See 5
[7] See 5
[8] https://twitter.com/nandoodles/status/1596271991694278656?s=20&t=5-3_0G-f1iEvwk0lNCZgXw
[9] https://dailyhive.com/calgary/premier-kenneys-e-commerce-posts-spark-online-backlash
[10] https://pressprogress.ca/right-wing-media-outlet-accredited-for-leaders-debate-is-also-registered-as-a-charity-for-immigrants/