VIRGINIA BEACH — A political activist group that has caused controversy across the country found roots in the Southside.
Described on their Facebook page as a fraternal organization, the Proud Boys of Virginia Beach are dedicated to “reinstating a spirit of Western chauvinism during an age of globalism and multiculturalism.”
Their ideals, as listed on the page, are “minimal government, maximum freedom, anti-political correctness, anti-racial guilt, pro-gun rights, anti-Drug War, closed borders, anti-masturbation, venerating entrepreneurs, venerating housewives.”
What does that mean?
According to a blog post written by Adam Reis, it means that group members – about 20 seemingly caucasian men – will be willing to “[show] up to stand and fight for what we believe in.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote in April that the organization “shows up at pro-Trump rallies looking to rumble with counter-protesters.”
Referencing the University of California, Berkeley protests, Reis said that California Proud Boys did just that.
“We won the battle for Berkeley, punching back against the fascist violence of ANTIFA [anti-fascist protesters], and now more than ever — we must speak up about the truth,” Reis wrote.
The Virginia Beach chapter attended a statewide meetup in Richmond earlier this month, though the exact location was not made public.
The group was founded by Canadian Gavin McInnes, who was recently included on a list of anti-Semites by the Anti-Defamation League.
“He actually has denounced a few people since we put him on there,” Carla Hill, an investigative researcher with the Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Extremism. “He tweeted that Virginia Proud Boys were not alt-right.”
McInnes, a co-founder of Vice Media that later separated from the news outlet, now contributes to The Federalist and Truth Revolt and appears regularly on Fox News, according to his website.
“The right isn’t violent. The left is,” he wrote in a column after his talk at DePaul University was canceled by school officials in May. “By allowing these sociopaths to shut down free speech with violence you are all but demanding a war. Okay, fine, you got it. It’s official. This is a war.”
The Proud Boys have described their approach to violence as a defense against anarchists and anti-fascists who seek to limit their free speech.
“What they are to me is a group that pushes the envelope. They use irony as a crutch, undermine social norms and political correctness,” Hill said. “It’s a group that not only attracts hardcore individuals but also average Joes. Misogyny and Islamophobia are our biggest concerns with them.”
The group’s activities are shrouded in secrecy on social media sites, with members going through a vetting process and the location of events only shared through direct messages. A Reddit channel dedicated to members is kept private, with access granted by invitation only.
But becoming a member isn’t difficult, as detailed on the organization’s blog. The group has a three-step process, which starts with simply declaring oneself a “proud boy.” Then, members are encouraged to don black and yellow Fred Perry polo shirts.
Prospects are then beaten by members until they can list the names of five breakfast cereals. A tattoo reading “proud boy” is the third step in securing membership.
While it’s unclear who is qualified to join, the organization lists an ultimate rule in the blog post:
“To become a first degree Proud Boy ALL men have to do is publicly state they are a “Western chauvinist who refuses to apologize for creating the modern world.” That’s it. You can have any political affiliation and be any religion, race, and/or sexual preference.”
There are cultural rules, too. Members are never allowed to attend a sanctioned event wearing flip-flops, the blog reads. The organization’s official band is Generation X. Members should drink Budweiser beer and Maker’s Mark whiskey.
“NO GIRL DRINKS,” the site reads. “BLACKBERRY MARGARITAS ARE DEALBREAKERS.”
Women dating Proud Boys members are allowed to attend social events, but never meetings, according to the website. Members are also barred from talking about the goings-on of the closed-door meetings.
Women are instead encouraged to support their men with the phrase, “proud of your boy,” according to Hill.
“They say they want the woman to be revered, but their sense of reverence is old school sense of reverence,” Hill said, “in that you take care of women, keep her safe, protect her from the world. The woman has children – that’s her job and that’s a special job, but they don’t like feminism.”
Southside Daily contacted a member of the local chapter for comment via Facebook, but the member declined, saying “due to misrepresentation in the press regardless of what we say or do, we do not give interviews.”
Send news tips to [email protected]
