WASHINGTON — An all-male, far-right group called the Proud Boys has been thrust into the national spotlight after President Trump advised the men to "stand back and stand by" during his first presidential debate against former Vice President Joe Biden. Immediately following the debate the hashtag "ProudBoys" began trending on Twitter.
Now, members of the LGBTQIA communities are banding together to reclaim #ProudBoys, flooding social media with smiling photos of their partners and sharing their own love stories.
The movement seems to have started when actor/activist George Takei tweeted out a plea.
"I wonder if the BTS and TikTok kids can help LGBTs with this," he said. "What if gay guys took pictures of themselves making out with each other or doing very gay things, then tagged themselves with #ProudBoys. I bet it would mess them up real bad. #ReclaimingMyShine."
Many D.C. residents have jumped on board the growing trend, which has garnered nearly 500,000 tweets. One local man shared his pride for the fact that he and his husband had been together for nearly 40 years.
Another couple celebrated their joy over their upcoming nuptials.
Robb Dooling, a candidate for DC's ANC 6A06, shared his hopes for his community.
Trump's Proud Boys comment on Tuesday came about after debate moderator Chris Wallace had asked the president if he would condemn White supremacy.
“I'm willing to do anything. I want to see peace," Trump said. “What do you want to call them? Give me a name."
“Proud Boys,” Democrat Joe Biden chimed in, referencing a far-right extremist group that the FBI has classified as "extremist" and anti-hate analysts have said has a propensity for street violence.
"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," the president responded.
"But I'll tell you what... Somebody's got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem."
The day after the debate, the president said that he did not know who the Proud Boys were, but reiterated that they needed to stand down and let law enforcement do its job.
