“The Proud Boys hashtag, which members of the far-right group have been using, was trending Sunday,” reports CNN, “after gay men on Twitter hijacked it and flooded the feed with photos of their loved ones and families and with memes.”
On Thursday 83-year-old George Takei (who’d play Sulu, the helmsman of the starship Enterprise, on the original Star Trek TV series) had suggested the hijacking to his 3.1 million followers on Twitter — and CNN describes what happened next:
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, the 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.”
of this story at Slashdot.
Source:: Slashdot