OTTAWA – In response to a demonstration by gay twitter users to reclaim the #ProudBoys hashtag, hate group the Proud Boys have distanced themselves from the LGBTQA+ community by renaming their group the “Leather Men”.
In response to President Trump’s seeming-endorsement of the Proud Boys, a group classified by the FBI as “an extremist group with ties to white nationalism”, Gay Twitter took action. The hashtag #ProudBoys was flooded with images of gay male service members, as well as other same sex couples, prompting the actual Proud Boys to change their name.
“We Proud Boys stand up for Western Chauvinism and political violence,” explained Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, “but we can’t allow ourselves to be associated with all this gay content. That’s why we’re changing our group’s name to something manly and tough, with cool matching leather jackets that could never be misconstrued.”
“There’s absolutely nothing gay about a bunch of dudes hanging around each other in leather. Go Leather Men!” chanted McInnes to his identically-clad followers.
While members of the far right gang were admittedly sad to lose their iconic Fred Perry polo shirts and Proud Boys name, many seem optimistic about the new Leather Men branding. “Just imagine how cool it’ll look when a bunch of us dudes show up to a bar together all wearing badass leather,” exclaimed Marcus Smith, Proud Boys member and Orange Julius assistant manager.
“Some of the guys are even gonna take it a step further, and wear leather caps, or even go extra-tough and wear those cool leather harnesses they sell in specialty stores. No one’ll ever make fun of us again!”
Given the former Proud Boys focus on Men’s Rights, several members plan to use their group’s new branding to advocate for divorced men not having to pay alimony, posting under the hashtag #LeatherDaddies.
At press time the Leather Men (formerly Proud Boys) organization is reporting record applications for membership, mostly through Grindr.
