Peter Boykin

Peter Boykin (born May 13, 1977) is an American political commentator, podcaster, author, and former political candidate who resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.[1] In February 2016, he founded and serves as president of Gays for Trump.[2][3][4]

Peter Boykin
Boykin in 2018
Born (1977-05-13) May 13, 1977
Pensacola, Florida
Occupationpolitical commentator
Years active2008–present
Websitepeterboykin.com

Early life and education

Peter Boykin was born in Florida and grew up in Virginia. He now resides in North Carolina.[5] His parents were conservative Catholics who campaigned for Ronald Reagan.[6]

He holds an associate degree in information systems technology from Danville Community College, a Bachelor of Science in web development, a Master of Science (M.S.) in information security and assurance from Purdue University, and a M.S. in e-commerce and entrepreneurship from Purdue.[7]

Political career

Boykin is a public supporter of Donald Trump.[8] In 2016, he founded the Gays for Trump organization which gained national attention as it solicited support from gay Americans for the candidacy of Donald Trump, mainly through social media messaging and outreach.[9] Gays for Trump also organized events, like the “WAKE UP!” party at the 2016 Republican National Convention to celebrate Trump's nomination as the Republican Party candidate. In attendance were prominent far-right figures, such as former Breitbart news editor Milo Yiannopoulos.[10]

In February 2018, he announced that he was running for the North Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 58.[11][12] After advancing from the primary election on May 8, 2018 and receiving the backing of the North Carolina Republican Party,[13] he lost in the general election on November 6, 2018 to the North Carolina Democratic Party candidate, Amos Quick.[14][15]

LGBT issues

Boykin has publicly stated he does not like the term LGBT, preferring "to leave the T out of it."[16][17]

In a 2018 interview in The Daily Beast,[18] Boykin expressed support for President Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the United States military.

The outlet LGBTQ Nation declared Boykin "dangerous for transexual People",[19] a claim that Boykin has denied.[20]

Alleged attack by Antifa and Black Lives Matter

In 2017 Boykin reported that he was attacked by Antifa protesters and a Black Lives Matter individual while covering the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally, and the vandalism and removal of the Confederate Soldiers Monument in Durham, North Carolina.[21]

Rallies and events

After the election of Donald Trump, Boykin planned and hosted the "Gay" DeploraBall presidential inauguration event in Maryland, on the night of President Trump's inauguration.[22][23][24][25]

There was a series of more than two dozen demonstrations organized throughout the United States on March 4, 2017, in support of President Trump.[26][27][28] Peter Boykin helped organize and ran the March 4 Trump event in Washington, D.C.,[29] at which Joy Villa and Andre Soriano were keynote speakers [30]

In 2017 the organization Gays for Trump organized a "Make America Great Again Free Speech Rally" on the National Mall near the White House on Saturday, July 1, which 18 people attended. Boykin blamed the low turnout on people celebrating the July 4 holiday weekend.[31]

Also in 2017, Boykin was the local coordinator for the Raleigh, North Carolina anti-sharia rally, one of a series organized nationally by ACT for America. Although exact counts were difficult to gauge, the fifty or so people gathered for the anti-sharia event were outnumbered by counter-protesters by a factor of five or six. [32]

In the same year he was a featured speaker at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C.[33]

In 2018 Boykin held a second March 4 Trump rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Washington Blade reported that about 100 people showed up around noon to the rally at the Lincoln Memorial, but then only 25 stuck around to march towards the White House after that. [34]

He also makes regular appearances at his local Greensboro city hall to talk about various topics.[35]

In July 2019, Boykin gave a speech at the "Demand Free Speech" rally held by the far-right Proud Boys organization in Washington, D.C., where he asked the crowd whether they’d be willing to “lay down your digital lives” to fight for freedom. [36]

See also

References
  1. Boykin, Peter (January 18, 2020). "Peter Boykin on Ballotpedia.org". Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  2. Chibbaro Jr., Lou (November 7, 2018). "Gays for Trump leader loses race for N.C. House seat". Washington Blade. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  3. Sarrubba, Stefania (November 6, 2018). "Gays for Trump founder wants you to vote to make "America great always"- Gay candidate Peter Boykin is running for North Carolina's state legislature these midterm elections". Gay Star News. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  4. Evans, Gareth (October 16, 2018). "US mid-terms: The most surprising candidates". BBC News. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  5. Hoffmann, Scott (March 31, 2018). "NC House 58: Peter Boykin (R)". News and Record. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  6. Minkowitz, Donna (June 5, 2017). "What's Attracting Gay Men to the Fascist, White Nationalist Alt-Right?". Slate Magazine.
  7. "VoteSmart: Peter Boykin's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  8. "Gays For Trump leader Peter Boykin: 'We will re-elect him'". RNZ.com. February 9, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  9. Bond, Lizzie (November 5, 2018). "A NC candidate like no other". Duke Reporters Lab. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  10. Johnson, Rich (July 13, 2016). "Gays For Trump Use Jim Steranko SHIELD Image For Party Poster With Ann Coulter, Pam Geller, Geert Wilders And More". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  11. O'Neil, Bill (October 19, 2018). "Republican challenger Peter Boykin runs for NC House 58th dist". WXXI 12. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  12. BUSH, ALEKSANDRA (October 19, 2019). "NC State House district 58 race: Amos Quick vs. Peter Boykin". Fox 8. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  13. Green, Jordan (February 27, 2018). "Gays for Trump founder Peter Boykin files to run for NC House seat". Triad City Beat. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  14. Duffy, Nick (November 9, 2018). "'Gays for Trump' leader faces crushing election defeat". Pink News. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  15. Broverman, Neal (November 7, 2018). "Gays for Trump President Crushed in N.C. House Race". Advocate. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  16. Sarrubba, Stefania (November 6, 2018). "Gays for Trump founder wants you to vote to 'make America great always' Gay candidate Peter Boykin is running for North Carolina's state legislature these midterm election". Gay Star News. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  17. Prengel, Kate (March 13, 2019). "Peter Boykin: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  18. Bellamy-Walker, Tatyana (March 11, 2018). "Peter Boykin, the Gay Trump Candidate Who's Against Transgender Troops". Daily Beast. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  19. Bollinger, Alex (March 13, 2018). "The 'Gays for Trump' guy is running for office & he's dangerous to trans people". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  20. Taylor, Jeff (March 18, 2018). "Politician and Gays For Trump leader Boykin says he's not transphobic, despite anti-trans position". Q-Notes. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  21. Donovan, Kari (August 23, 2017). "VIDEO: Gays For Trump Leader Assaulted As Police Stand Down". Big League Politics. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  22. Key, Michael (January 20, 2017). "PHOTOS: Gays for Trump DeploraBall". Washington Blade. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  23. Harlan, Landry (January 21, 2017). "DeploraBall: 'The Gayest Gala in D.C.'". Boston University News Service. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  24. Moakley, Paul (January 21, 2017). "Inside Gays for Trump's Deploraball Dance Party". Boston University News Service. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  25. Sherman, William (January 24, 2017). "Amid Anti-Trump Protests, One LGBTQ Group Celebrated". NBC News. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  26. Montgomery, Peter (March 2, 2017). "March for Trump: Love and Unity, Trump-Style". Right Wing Watch. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  27. Williams, Kale (February 24, 2017). "Counter-protest planned for Lake Oswego 'March 4 Trump'". oregonlive.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  28. Wasserstrom, Shuly (February 22, 2017). "Lake Oswego business owner plans 'March 4 Trump'". koin.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  29. Branfalt, Tim (March 4, 2017). "Trump backers stage series of small rallies across U.S." Reuters. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  30. Chasmar, Jessica (March 6, 2017). "Joy Villa headlines pro-Trump LGBT rally: 'This is really a proud moment'". Reuters. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  31. Kacala, Alexander (July 3, 2017). "'Gays for Trump' Throw MAGA Mega Rally and Hardly Anyone Shows Up". Hornet. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  32. Green, Jordan (June 14, 2017). "Far-Right Groups Converge on Raleigh to Protest Sharia Law, Are Outnumbered". Indy Week. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  33. "Juggalos, Trump Supporters, and Critics Gather in Washington". NBC 4 Washington. September 15, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  34. Randall, Devin (March 7, 2018). "The "Gays For Trump" Rally Had An Awkwardly Small Crowd This Past Weekend". Instinct. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  35. Hammer, John (May 8, 2019). "City Council Town Hall Meeting Sans Disruptions". Rhino Times. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  36. Beaujon, Andrew (July 8, 2019). "Far-Right Activists Brought Their Gripes About Social Media to a Park Near the White House This Weekend". Rhino Times. Retrieved January 21, 2020.

Further reading
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