Twitter users flood #ProudBoys hashtag with gay pride

Gay men are flooding the #ProudBoys hashtag on social media with images of themselves ‘doing very gay things’ in an attempt to displace posts made by neo-Nazis and white supremacists using the tag.

The viral campaign was launched by Star Wars actor George Takei, 83, who took to Twitter last week to urge his fellow gay men to try and ‘reclaim’ the hashtag from the far-right group the Proud Boys in the wake of comments made about them by President Donald Trump during the first presidential debate.  

Proud Boys, a far-right group founded in 2016, calls itself a ‘white chauvinist’ organization but it is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Taking a stand: Gay men have hijacked the #ProudBoys hashtag used by the far-right group after Star Wars actor George Takei (pictured right) launched a viral campaign against them

Idea: Takei, 83, took to Twitter on October 1 to encourage gay men to share pictures of themselves 'doing very gay things' in the hopes of 'messing up' the far-right Proud Boys

Idea: Takei, 83, took to Twitter on October 1 to encourage gay men to share pictures of themselves ‘doing very gay things’ in the hopes of ‘messing up’ the far-right Proud Boys 

Speaking out: The viral campaign comes after President Donald Trump told the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to 'stand back and stand by' during the presidential debate last week

Speaking out: The viral campaign comes after President Donald Trump told the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to ‘stand back and stand by’ during the presidential debate last week 

Love not hate: Thousands responded to Takei's tweet, with many sharing images of themselves with their children

Love not hate: Thousands responded to Takei’s tweet, with many sharing images of themselves with their children 

'Equality wins': Queer Eye star Bobby Berk also joined the trend, sharing an image of himself with his husband Dewey Do

‘Equality wins’: Queer Eye star Bobby Berk also joined the trend, sharing an image of himself with his husband Dewey Do 

Last week, the group hit the headlines after President Trump declined to condemn them during the first presidential debate on October 29, 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, however by that point the group had already seemingly pledged its allegiance to the President, with Proud Boys organizer Joe Biggs writing on social media: ‘President Trump told the proud boys to stand by because someone needs to deal with ANTIFA… well sir! we’re ready!’

In the days since the debate, the hashtag has been used by members of the far-right organization, as well as several neo-Nazis and white supremacists – however it is now trending online for a very different reason. 

On October 1, Takei, who married his partner Brad in 2008, tweeted: ‘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’ 

Vocal: Some gay men shared photos of themselves with their partners, while others posted images of friends and family members

Vocal: Some gay men shared photos of themselves with their partners, while others posted images of friends and family members

Vocal: Some gay men shared photos of themselves with their partners, while others posted images of friends and family members 

'Works for me': Thousands rallied behind Takei in the hopes of reclaiming the hashtag from the far-right group, which seemed to be galvanized by Trump's words at the debate

‘Works for me’: Thousands rallied behind Takei in the hopes of reclaiming the hashtag from the far-right group, which seemed to be galvanized by Trump’s words at the debate 

Proud: A number of social media users shared images of themselves over the years

Proud: A number of social media users shared images of themselves over the years 

Official: The Twitter account for the Canadian forces in the US tweeted its support for the campaign, sharing an image of a uniformed soldier kissing his partner

Official: The Twitter account for the Canadian forces in the US tweeted its support for the campaign, sharing an image of a uniformed soldier kissing his partner 

On Sunday the #ProudBoys hashtag went viral in North America as LGBTQI+ users included it on photos of their significant others or wedding days and other pride imagery.

‘Look at these cute lil #ProudBoys,’ Bobby Berk, a host of the popular Netflix show Queer Eye, wrote on Sunday, alongside a photo with his husband. ‘Retweet and make this hashtag about love, not hate.’

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.

‘If you wear our uniform, know what it means. If you’re thinking about wearing our uniform, know what it means,’ the organization said in a follow-up tweet. ‘Love is love.’

An internal report from the Canadian military in November 2018 found 53 members were found to have made discriminatory statements or were linked to hate groups including the Proud Boys and anti-immigrant group Soldiers of Odin.

Statement: A few people took the opportunity to encourage people to vote for Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris

Statement: A few people took the opportunity to encourage people to vote for Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris

Statement: A few people took the opportunity to encourage people to vote for Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris, while some simply posted photos 

'Reclaiming the hashtag': Some people referenced the Proud Boys group, while others simply shared images and personal sentiments

‘Reclaiming the hashtag’: Some people referenced the Proud Boys group, while others simply shared images and personal sentiments  

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