The Proud Boys, a far-right group designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, was trending on social media after being mentioned at the presidential debate, but Twitter users quickly took matters into their own hands to stop the spread of hateful rhetoric.
Men in the LGBTQ community promptly began sharing photos of themselves with #ProudBoys to drown out the posts from the group’s actual supporters. Specifically, many users shared images of themselves with their partners and how long they had been together.
Although the group publicly denies supporting white supremacy, the Proud Boys have historically supported racist individuals among their ranks and showed up to counter-protest Black Lives Matter movements throughout the summer.
Among the notable participants in social media, activism is Star Trek actor George Takei. Social media serves as a platform for advocacy, but it can also be a landing spot for hatred and bigotry. Fortunately, sometimes users are able to band together to shut down hateful language and messaging. This is similar to the initiative we saw earlier this year in which K-Pop fans successfully used mass posting to drown out #whitelivesmatter.
