FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE TAKEOVER OF THE PROUDBOYS

At last week's presidential debate, President Donald Trump's comment telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” provided the far-right group a boost on social media. But then actor and activist George Takei suggested a clever way to replace the hate with something, well, gay. Here's the

story.

1 THE SPARK

“What if gay guys took pictures of themselves making out or doing very gay things, then tagged themselves with

#ProudBoys. I bet it would mess (the militant group) up real bad. #ReclaimingMyShine.” Takei, who is gay, tweeted on Thursday. Thousands adopted the hashtag and posted images and messages of love and support — all with the intent to take over

a moniker linked to hate.

2

THE THINKING

Noah Reed, a 30-year-old content creator in New York,

posted pictures with his fiancé, Derek Ivie, a 35-yearold librarian. For Reed, it was more than just jumping on a trend: “Aside from voting, I think a lot of us are trying to do anything we can to … not necessarily silence, but push back the neo-Nazis and the far-right groups that are

spreading hatred.”

3 THE PRIDE

Many gay men posted images with their partners and children. “#ProudBoys watching our son graduate,” one man tweeted.“#ProudBoys we will never stand back and standby! Together for 25 years with 2 amazing children,” another tweeted.

4

THE COVERAGE

Famous gay figures joined in, including TV personality Andy Cohen and Bobby Berk from Queer Eye. Actor Matt Bomer promoted The Boys in the Band, a movie on Netflix about gay men at a birthday party. The Twitter account for the Canadian Forces in the U.S. posted an image with a serviceman in uniform kissing his partner. The Royal Canadian Navy retweeted the image with the caption: “Our

#ProudBoys. Love is love.”

5

THE RESPECT

Allies of the LGBTQ community posted images of family members or gay couples. One tweeted an image of former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten: “I know two amazing #ProudBoys who have made our Nation PROUD!” Another tweeted an image of her transgender son.“My son,

who is a highly intelligent, talented, and courageous FtM trans teenager. He gives me hope that his generation can and will stand up to hatred ….

#ProudBoys.”