Milo Yiannopoulos incites twitter attacks, holds Gays for Trump rally at RNC

by Grace Babb
Journalism Intern

The Republican National Convention has already had its fair share of headline-worthy happenings and statements from the various speakers it has hosted over the last three days.

On its second night, it bore witness to an event that even most Republicans would not have expected to see: a “Gays for Trump” rally, hosted by Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos

Yiannopoulos argued that the real friend of the LGBT community is none other than the Republican Party.

According to the Washington Blade, Yiannopoulos wore a tank top with a rainbow gun and the words “We Shoot Back” across the front to the rally. Yiannopoulos said the time has come for the LGBT community to separate itself from the progressive movement to take on Islamic extremism.

After the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Yiannopoulos said that the left no longer supports gay people.

“Growing up gay wasn’t that f[**]king bad, let’s be honest,” Yiannopoulos said. “But I still don’t see the reason why the left-wing press mollycoddles and panders to an ideology that wants me dead.”

Yiannopoulos said that he draws no distinction between Islam as a whole and Islamic extremism.

He also claimed that Trump is “the most pro-gay candidate in American electoral history.”

Condemning the Democratic Party further, Yiannopoulos added,

“You have done nothing for gays. While you were busy hectoring and bullying and nannying us about transgender pronouns, you completely forgot that politicians in this country, Democrat[ic] politicians who are welcoming in a religion that wants us dead. They were welcoming in movements and belief systems that are completely incompatible with the Western way of life, with modern, Western, capitalist, liberal democracies, the only systems under which gay people are happy and successful and have rights.”

Yiannopoulos had been permanently banned from Twitter just before appearing at the event.

According to The Guardian, Yiannopoulos had been suspended from Twitter multiple times in the past. This time, he was responsible for invoking harassment of actor Leslie Jones, who stars in the new Ghostbusters film.

Jones was bombarded with racist attacks, until eventually deciding to leave Twitter in order to escape the bullying.

In a statement, a Twitter spokesman said: “People should be able to express diverse opinions and beliefs on Twitter. But no one deserves to be subjected to targeted abuse online, and our rules prohibit inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others.”

In response, Yiannopoulos said, “This is the end for Twitter. Anyone who cares about free speech has been sent a clear message: you’re not welcome on Twitter.”

Copyright 2016 The Gayly – 7 /20/16 @ 5:00 PM  CDT