Members of the Proud Boys—the far-right domestic terror group—were roasted after a video showed them protesting an Ohio drag event by dancing to the disco song "YMCA" which is commonly considered a gay anthem.
The organizers of the all-ages drag show in Columbus, Ohio, were forced to cancel the event after the Proud Boys threatened to disrupt it.
\u201cThese are the people who showed up outside of a drag show in Columbus, Ohio and caused it to be canceled. This is terrorism. Where is the DoJ? This is a clear violation of civil rights by neo-nazi orgs.\u201d— Alejandra Caraballo (@Alejandra Caraballo) 1670122378
The decision to cancel was because of a failure to arrange a satisfactory security plan, according to Cheryl Ryan, the school manager of Red Oak Community School which had organized the event in partnership with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus.
The Proud Boys' opposition to the event comes amid a wider conservative pushback against drag queen story hours, which conservatives have alleged are an opportunity to "indoctrinate" children into the LGBTQ+ community rather than an opportunity to impart values of inclusivity and acceptance.
But there was something undoubtedly ironic about the notoriously homophobic group protesting the event while dancing to one of the most quintessentially gay songs ever made.
Check them out in the video below.
\u201cProud Boys dancing to Village People\u2019s \u2018YMCA\u2019 at today\u2019s protest in Columbus, Ohio\u201d— Brendan Gutenschwager (@Brendan Gutenschwager) 1670093998
Taken at face value, the song—by the disco group Village People—appears to extol the virtues of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).
However, in the gay culture from which the image and music of the Village People came, the song was implicitly understood as celebrating YMCA's reputation as a popular cruising and hookup spot, particularly for the younger men to whom it was addressed.
The song was released in 1978 as the only single from Village People's third studio album, Cruisin', underscoring the tongue-in-cheek nature of the song and the successful attempt by the group's producers to attract disco's gay audience by featuring popular gay fantasy in their music.
The Proud Boys have been widely mocked online as a result.
\u201cSometimes irony is all ya need.\u201d— Gabbi Bolt (@Gabbi Bolt) 1670315047
\u201cI see the Proud Boys have appropriately chosen a song about not having sex with women as their anthem.\u201d— LadyGrey \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@LadyGrey \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1670252611
Members of the Proud Boys have previously spoken openly about the group's unabashedly homophoic culture. However, that doesn't mean the group hasn't previously been called out for engaging in behavior that goes against their own principles.
Last year, the organization's chairman Enrique Tarrio had people raising their eyebrows after he said that Proud Boys members resolve disputes by slapping each other on the buttocks, kissing each other's cheeks, and even licking each other's faces.
Tarrio, with no sense of irony whatsoever, referred to these bonding sessions as "pretty magical."
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