Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Proud Boys Roasted After Protesting Ohio Drag Event By Dancing To Gay Anthem 'YMCA'

Twitter screenshot of Proud Boys members dancing to "YMCA"
@BGOnTheScene/Twitter

Organizers of an all-ages drag storytime event in Columbus, Ohio, canceled the event after threats from the far-right group.

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.


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.

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.


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."

More from News/lgbtq

Hillary Clinton; Liam Ramos; Tammy Duckworth
Alex Wong/Getty Images; Columbia Heights Public Schools; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Dems Blast ICE After 5-Year-Old Minnesota Boy Is Detained On His Way Home From Preschool

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth were among the Democrats who condemned ICE after agents detained 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father on their way home from preschool in the Minneapolis area.

Ramos is the fourth student from the Columbia Heights School District to be swept up in the Trump administration's nationwide immigration crackdown. District officials and a family attorney confirmed the boy and his father are in custody at an ICE facility in Texas.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt; Donald Trump
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Gives Bonkers Excuse After Trump Is Spotted With Massive Bruise On His Left Hand

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was called out after she gave a dubious excuse for what happened to President Donald Trump after he was spotted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday with a large bruise on his left hand.

Last year, rumors swirled that Trump was on his deathbed after he wasn't seen for several days and the White House cancelled his public appearances, a development that fueled speculation in large part because of Trump's recent health problems, which include a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency and sightings of a harsh bruise on his right hand.

Keep ReadingShow less
A group of men sitting on lawn furniture
men sitting on chairs
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Men Reveal The Mistakes They See Younger Guys Repeatedly Making

There are countless male stereotypes.

Stereotypes which, sadly, still remain all too true among far too many oblivious men.

Keep ReadingShow less
Troye Sivan (left) and a screenshot from the now-deleted video posted by an aesthetic doctor critiquing the singer’s appearance (right).
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; @drrzayn/Instagram

Singer And Actor Troye Sivan Speaks Out After Plastic Surgeon Says He Should 'Re-Twinkify' Himself

Out of all the unsolicited advice that circulates online, being publicly critiqued for aging may be one of the most jarring, especially when it comes from a stranger with a platform and a medical title.

That was the experience Australian singer, songwriter, and actor Troye Sivan recently unpacked after a plastic surgeon posted a video dissecting his appearance without permission.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @its.avelyn's TikTok video
@its.avelyn/TikTok

Woman's Hack For How To Find The Sweetest Oranges At The Grocery Store Is Both Hilarious And Helpful

Let's be honest, in this economy, groceries are atrociously expensive, and we could use every shopping and saving hack we can find.

TikToker @its.avelyn delivered when she shared a fellow TikToker's hack for finding the sweetest navel oranges at the grocery store, allowing us to buy the fruit we want and get our money's worth in the process.

Keep ReadingShow less