You really should watch what you say online, especially in the U.S. Things can easily be taken out of context and end up causing a lot of trouble. That’s exactly what’s happening to a Baltimore, Maryland teacher named Alexa Sciuto. She’s currently suing several people for defamation, including four Republican state lawmakers from Maryland, members of Moms for Liberty, and the person behind the Libs of TikTok account.
It all started with a tweet Sciuto made that said, “Officer, I swear I didn’t mean to murder her.” It was meant to be a joke, referencing a clip of Kit Hart from Moms for Liberty struggling to define the word “woke” during a parents’ rights event. The Baltimore teacher had asked the question, found the answer lacking, and later posted the sarcastic remark online. The exchange was livestreamed on her social media and later posted to TikTok, where it picked up hundreds of thousands of views.
Soon after, things escalated. A letter was sent to the superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools by several lawmakers, demanding Sciuto’s termination. They claimed her tweet was a death threat. Sciuto, however, argues it was rhetorical and clearly not meant to be taken seriously. She also clarified that she had already resigned from her position in May, which happened before the June tweet, so she wasn’t fired, as some people have been claiming.
In her lawsuit, Sciuto says the lawmakers and Moms for Liberty misrepresented her and have continued to spread false information. The Baltimore teacher claims they’ve made it harder for her to work as a teacher by encouraging others on Facebook to block her from getting future teaching jobs. One particularly damaging claim accused her of handing out obscene coloring book pages to students, something she says is completely untrue.
Many internet users are siding with the Baltimore teacher, with a noticeable wave of criticism directed at Moms for Liberty. One Redditor wrote, “Good. Moms for Liberty is a cancer.” Others felt the group was simply facing the consequences of its own actions. Another user commented, “Good, good, good. They’ve weaponized frivolous lawsuits while committing slander daily. Everyone they’ve hurt with their lies should be suing them.”
Some users pointed out that the outcome of the lawsuit could depend heavily on the jury and how the post is interpreted. One person noted, “This will be tricky because I don’t think it’s a threat (see r/murderedbywords). But if you aren’t familiar with that kind of slang, like saying someone got ‘bodied’ or ‘murked,’ I could see how someone might misinterpret it.”
