Meet Alexa Sciuto
You may have already seen her on the news ...
Alexa Sciuto is the Baltimore teacher, LGBTQ+ advocate, and comedian who asked Kit Hart, the Chair of the Carroll County chapter of Moms for Liberty, to define ‘woke’ at the Parental Power Summit. Hart’s non-answer went viral.
Days later, Republican lawmakers Kathy Szeliga, Lauren Arikan, Ryan Nawrocki, and Robin Grammer (who would later comprise over half of The Maryland Freedom Caucus) falsely accused Alexa of making a death threat against Hart. In a formal letter to Alexa’s employer, Baltimore County Public Schools, they mischaracterized her as dangerous and unstable, and demanded she be terminated from her position as a Spanish teacher immediately. These claims were repeated by Hart herself and later amplified to an audience of over 4 million by Chaya Raichik, better known as Libs of TikTok.
The purpose of these lies was clear: to unduly induce Sciuto’s employer to fire her, and to prevent her from seeking future employment. Hart even encouraged members of Moms for Liberty on Facebook to “speak up” if they found out Sciuto had gotten a job in another district.
Ironically, Sciuto had already secured a position in another school district in April and submitted her intent to resign from BCPS by early May, almost a month before The Parental Power Summit. Despite this, Hart and Janet Greenhawk, the Chair of Moms for Liberty in Talbot County, falsely claimed that Sciuto was either fired or forced to resign, and celebrated her exit from BCPS as a victory.
Taken together, the delegates’ defamatory letter, further lies by Hart and other members of Moms for Liberty across Maryland, and online amplification by Libs of TikTok came together to create a coordinated false impression that Sciuto had committed a crime and was subsequently fired from her job. This resulted in undue emotional and mental distress, and implications for future employment.
This Is What They Do
That's the playbook: target educators who speak up, mischaracterize their words, threaten their careers, and scare them out of speaking up again. This has happened to teachers across the United States at the hands of Moms for Liberty, extreme right-wing politicians, and Libs of TikTok.
Sciuto’s case is not unique, but she is the first to sue Libs of TikTok for defamation of character.
Help Stop It
This nationwide campaign against teachers must end, so Alexa is fighting back with a defamation lawsuit. But standing up to well-funded political operators isn’t cheap!
When teachers get attacked for participating in public discourse, it sends a message to educators everywhere: Shut up and stay quiet. Alexa Sciuto simply cannot do that.
Your support helps push back against that message.
Help hold bullies accountable.
I’m Alexa Sciuto and thanks so much for your support!