*The Proud Boys hashtag, which members of the far-right white supremacist group have been using, was trending Sunday after gay men on Twitter hijacked it and flooded the feed with photos of their loved ones and families.
The Proud Boys recently made headlines by celebrating President Trump’s reply at last week’s debate, when he was asked to condemn White supremacists. The President instead used his allotted time to blame what he called “antifa and the left” for violence at recent protests against police brutality and to tell the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
Matt Dechaine, one of the men who pitched in with photos of himself and his husband in efforts to overtake the hashtag, said his goal was simply to spread joy.
“Seeing the hashtag was so uplifting,” Dechaine, who is from England, told CNN. “It feels like the movement for positive change for all is gathering momentum all the time and I’m glad to be a small part of it. By coming together rooted in respect and love for each other, the world can be so much better!”
But Enrique Tarrio, a leader of the Proud Boys, said he doesn’t see what the men are trying to accomplish.
“I think it’s hysterical,” Tarrio told CNN. “This isn’t something that’s offensive to us. It’s not an insult. We aren’t homophobic. We don’t care who people sleep with. People think it’s going to bother us. It doesn’t.”
He added, “One of the messages they want to send with this is that they’re trying to drown out our supporters, they’re trying to silence us. … When you’re trying to drown out other people’s thoughts, I don’t think there’s anything progressive about that. Why don’t these people just engage?”
Tarrio, a Cuban American, is also the leader of the grassroots group Latinos for Trump.
Below, watch a video of the Proud Boys hashtag takeover from The Project.
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