LGBTQ+ People Raid "#ProudBoys" Hashtag To Mock Far-right Group

For many Americans, it was disheartening when the President of the United States told the Proud Boys, a far-right, "western chauvinist" organization whose presence has been felt at Black Lives Matter protests to "stand by" during the upcoming election during the first presidential debate. The statement, far from a condemnation, emboldened the Proud Boys on social media, putting them at the forefront of internet consciousness.

However, a recent trend has found the LGBTQ+ community raiding the #ProudBoys hashtag with pictures of themselves, well, being gay.

Good morning Gorgeous!#ProudBoys 🌈 pic.twitter.com/TzVre2z5XX

— Allana Harkin (@AllanaHarkin) October 5, 2020

Pretty much the best day I've ever had at work…#ProudBoys pic.twitter.com/p5VOFSjMMp

— Stephen Quinn (@CBCStephenQuinn) October 5, 2020

🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈 #ProudBoys pic.twitter.com/rEFL7xIqXu

— Canadian Forces in 🇺🇸 (@CAFinUS) October 4, 2020

Evidently, the Proud Boys are none-too-happy about the movement. There is no official Proud Boys presence on Twitter since the site banned them in 2018, so they've taken to Parler, a similar app popular with conservatives. There, Forbes reported that users were absolutely furious to see their name associated with LGBTQ+ images.

“Fags,” wrote user @Ryanha5150. “Can’t stand gay people…should be illegal.” Others posted general Nazi rhetoric implying calling for the extermination of the LGBTQ+ community.

The move is reminiscent of when K-Pop stans flooded hashtags like "#WhiteLivesMatter" with fancams earlier this summer, making this another example of negative hashtags turned into a chaotic good on social media.