Libs of TikTok attacks Burbank Mayor over drag show video 

BURBANK, Calif. – A Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser event that was presented by the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats has turned into anti-LGBTQ+ campaign against Burbank Mayor Konstantine Anthony after a video surfaced of the mayor being spanked by the drag queen presenter.

The video was first posted to social media by the Armenian-American podcast WiseNuts which disparaged the mayor and then once the video was cross posted to X(formerly Twitter) it was picked up by anti-LGBTQ+ hate account Libs of TikTok.

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A post shared by WiseNuts (@wisenuts_podcast)

At issue was that posts advertising the event stated the Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser event was for “ages 15 and over. Event not suitable for children.” In a series of tweets, Chaya Raichik, the operator of Libs of TikTok went after the mayor. Anthony took to X to defend himself against her accusations that the slap happened in front of children. “Actually, there weren’t any children at this private 21+ event,” said Anthony.

WATCH: Konstantine Anthony- the Mayor of Burbank, California, received a spanking from a drag queen in front of children at a Democrat campaign event yesterday.

Full story here! https://t.co/G6BudDFuGs pic.twitter.com/Dxb5bJ9Cuw

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 10, 2023

The mayor also noted in his response to Raichik: “But of course lying is totally on brand for you.”

Although Raichik correctly pointed out that people 15 and older were allowed to attend, the organizer of the Drag Queen Bingo event and the Santa Clara Valley Democrats, released a statement explaining that no one under the age of 18 was present.

Libs of TikTok has been suspended several times on multiple platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Raichik had previously been suspended from Twitter for accusing LGBTQ people of “grooming” children, which Twitter confirmed violates its policies against hateful conduct after facing pressure from Media Matters and others. Her Twitter account was also suspended after she targeted multiple hospitals for providing gender-affirming care, leading to violent threats against patients and providers and forcing at least one hospital to request support from law enforcement. (On September 5, Raichik baselessly claimed that a bomb threat against Boston Children’s Hospital “was probably a left-wing person trying to get me suspended.”)

According to the mayor at the City Council meeting Tuesday, the video’s spread has led to city officials receiving “some of the most vile hate speech that I have ever seen.”

The mayor then suggested those who take issue with is actions email him directly at [email protected].

“If you want to talk to me about what happened over the weekend, send me an email. Send me an email. I will talk to you about it,” he said. “There is no reason to involve all of the other people who were not at a public event, not at a government-sponsored event. It wasn’t even in the city of Burbank.”

The City also released a statement posting it on its website:

“The City of Burbank recognizes the diverse range of personal activities pursued by its residents and representatives. We understand that the recent incident involving our Mayor at a non-city event has drawn attention and elicited a variety of reactions from the community. We wish to emphasize that the incident was done on the Mayor’s personal time, outside of Burbank. 

We acknowledge the public’s concerns and ask for understanding of the personal choices of individuals, while also reaffirming our commitment to promoting an inclusive, respectful, and professional environment in all official city matters.”

KTLA reported that during Tuesday’s City Council session during the public comments Burbank resident Joel Schlossman criticized the mayor’s behavior.

“There are people in this city with morals who care,” he said. “You cannot be a piece of s— when you go home and then come here and put on a suit and think that you’re high and mighty … We have somebody sitting at the head of the dais that is the lowest of the low.”

As an example of Anthony’s alleged immoral behavior, Schlossman claimed that the mayor and his wife practice polyamory.

“There’s many people that disagree with it. It’s an insult to marriage, and he insults marriage,” said Schlossman, who added “kiss my ass” as he left the speaker’s podium.

The Santa Clara Valley Democrats in a statement released Tuesday said the group “vehemently condemn[ed] the sensationalized and inaccurate use of our event for political click bait in order to promote an agenda of fear, homophobia, transphobia, and bigotry.”

They added that “as an organization, we refuse to engage with this fake outrage.”

“We continue to stand in support of the LGBTQ+ community and Drag performers,” the statement said.