- Title: "Glorious": George Takei on gay men claiming Proud Boys Twitter hashtag
- Date: 5th October 2020
- Summary: PORTLAND, OREGON, UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 17, 2019) (REUTERS) PROUD BOYS MEMBERS ARRIVING FOR PROTEST POLICE OFFICER LOOKING ON TWO MEMBERS OF PROUD BOYS STANDING TOGETHER PROUD BOYS LOGO NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - JUNE 30, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEW YORK GAY PRIDE EVENT
- Embargoed: 19th October 2020 23:49
- Keywords: #proudboys George Takei LGBTQ Proud Boys Twitter pride right wing tweets
- Location: INTERNET; LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES; NEW YORK / BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES; PORTLAND/GRESHAM, OREGON, UNITED STATES;
- City: INTERNET; LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES; NEW YORK / BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES; PORTLAND/GRESHAM, OREGON, UNITED STATES;
- Country: USA
- Topics: Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA006CYURV47
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Twitter users are flooding the #ProudBoys hashtag on social media with images of LGBTQI+ pride, displacing posts made by neo-Nazis and white supremacists using the tag.
Proud Boys, a far-right group founded in 2016, calls itself a "white chauvinist" organization but is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The group was recently in the headlines after U.S. President Donald Trump declined to condemn them during the recent presidential debate, instead telling them to "stand back and stand by," which many group members took as an endorsement. Trump later denounced the group in a Fox News interview.
On Sunday (October 4) and Monday (October 5), the #ProudBoys hashtag began trending in North America as LGBTQI+ users included it on photos of their significant others or wedding days and other pride imagery.
The Twitter storm was kickstarted by 'Star Trek' actor and activist George Takei on Saturday (October 3).
Talking to Reuters via Zoom, Takei described the phenomenon as "glorious" adding "We are very happy and proud. We are not standing back and standing by, we are standing up and speaking out."
The official Twitter account of the Canadian Armed Forces in the United States shared an image of a serviceman kissing his partner, captioned with emojis of the Canada flag and rainbow pride flag and the hashtag #ProudBoys.
Takei has been with his partner Brad for over 30 years and they legally married 12 years ago. He has long been an advocate for gay rights.
"We know what true pride means," said Takei. "These weaklings who need to depend on weapons to do anything, they are fakes. They have not earned what the word denotes. We march pride parades because we are proud. We have accomplished things, we have a history and we enjoy what we've earned," he added.
The Proud Boys have been particularly active in Portland, Oregon, where they have become a mainstay of protests there.
Takei said "How insecure are they that they have to go to a demonstration with their weapons and then like spoiled bullies, children, they react violently? I mean, that's not anything to be proud of. That's everything to be ashamed of. They are shameful boys and they certainly aren't anything that anyone would be proud of what they're doing. They are insecure, they are fearful, they are weak."
(Production: Rollo Ross) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None