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Vancouver's LGBT community joins in #ProudBoys takeover on social media, condemning hate group

The #proudboys hashtag, associated with a far-right group in the United States, was taken over this weekend by members of the LGBTQ community in Vancouver and around the world.

It started after a callout from actor George Takei last week, who suggested on social media that gay men add the hashtag #proudboys to photos of themselves celebrating the LGBTQ community.

Proud Boys has been associated with violence and the far-right movement. The U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC) describes the all-male organization as a hate group.

The Proud Boys, founded in 2016 by Canadian Gavin McInnes, was recently in the spotlight after U.S. President Donald Trump was asked to condemn white supremacist and militia groups during last week's presidential debate. Instead, Trump called on the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by."

Environmental activist Peter McCartney, who posted a photo of him and his partner kissing on Bowen Island, said it's time to take a stand.

"That pride is something we started, and we're going to take it back."

Vancouver author and LGBTQ activist Danny Ramadan also felt inspired to participate in the takeover, saying it was a beautiful display of the diversity of the gay community.

"This is one of the most special photos that I've ever had in my life," said Ramadan, who posted a photo of his wedding last year.

"I'm in an interracial relationship and I thought that's something that should be added to that narrative."

'It's about taking that space away'

For Ramadan, the idea of taking over a hashtag is just the start of what needs to be done to combat hate.

"I think its really not about sending a message to the Proud Boys ... it's about drowning their hateful voice, it's about taking that space away from them," he said.

"We need to ... make it so they can't hold events in public, organize online, actually take those spaces away from them so they can't recruit people," said McCartney, in an interview with On the Coast's Gloria Macarenko.