The gay community is beautifully reclaiming #ProudBoys
In one of the first good plot twists of 2020, the #ProudBoys hashtag has become a thing of beauty.
On Sunday morning, #ProudBoys was trending on Twitter, but not for the reasons you'd think. Though the hashtag has recently been used in tweets pertaining to the far-right, Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group called the Proud Boys — which Donald Trump recently shouted out at the first presidential debate — members of the LGBTQ community decided to redefine the meaning of "proud boys" by flooding the hashtag with messages of gay pride, love, acceptance, and positivity.
The hashtag, which has been tweeted 314,000 times as of Sunday afternoon, is now full of wonderful pride parade memories, odes to romantic partners, and photos of men kissing. It's a truly heartwarming sight, and a remarkably creative way to minimize focus on the far-right group.
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At the presidential debate on Tuesday, moderator Chris Wallace asked Donald Trump, "Are you willing, tonight, to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down?"
Instead of denouncing white supremacy on live television, Trump very clearly said, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left."
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It's absolutely repulsive to see a U.S. president fail to condemn white supremacy, and though little can be done about it as the American people await their chance to vote in the 2020 election, hijacking the Proud Boys hashtag on social media is a delightful effort that does make an impact.
No matter how small-scale the hashtag flooding may seem, it still sends a message that hate, discrimination, and everything the far-right group stands for will not be tolerated.
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Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
