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Peter Boykin
Peter Boykin at the March4Trump Rally in Washington DC
Born (1977-05-13) May 13, 1977 (age 47)
Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
EducationDanville Community College (Associate degree)
Purdue University (BS, MS)
Occupation(s)Activist; former political candidate
Years active2016–present
Websitepeterboykin.com

Peter Boykin (born May 13, 1977) is an American activist, known for being the founder and president of Gays for Trump.[1][2][3][4] A member of the Republican Party, Boykin was a candidate in the 2024 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election.

Early life and education

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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

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2016 support for Donald Trump

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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] The event was also seen to link gays with the counter-jihad movement in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting, as other speakers included Pamela Geller and Geert Wilders.[11][12]

2018 North Carolina House election

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In February 2018, he announced that he was running for the North Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 58.[13][14] After advancing from the primary election on May 8, 2018, and receiving the backing of the North Carolina Republican Party,[15] he lost in the general election on November 6, 2018 to the North Carolina Democratic Party candidate, Amos Quick by a margin of more than 50 percentage points.[16][17]

2021 US congressional election

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In May 2021, he announced that he was running for US Congress to represent North Carolina after incumbent Ted Budd announced his departure from Congress to run for the Senate seat vacated by Richard Burr.[18][19]

In November 2021, Boykin announced his intention to run in the newly-formed 7th Congressional District.[20] However, Boykin later suspended his congressional campaign, instead opting to run for the North Carolina House of Representatives.[21]

He later dropped out of the race due to map changes in his district.

2022 North Carolina House election

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In 2022, Peter Boykin ran for North Carolina House of Representatives House District 63; he failed to advance to the general election,[22] garnering only 170 votes in the Republican primary.[23]

2024 North Carolina Lieutenant Governor election

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Peter Boykin was a candidate for the office Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in the 2024 election.[23]

Activism

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Rallies and events

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After the 2016 election of Donald Trump, Boykin planned and hosted the "Gay" DeploraBall presidential inauguration event in Maryland, on the night of President Trump's inauguration.[24][25][26][27]

There was a series of more than two dozen demonstrations organized throughout the United States on March 4, 2017, in support of President Trump.[28][29][30] Boykin helped organize and ran the March 4 Trump event in Washington, D.C.,[31] at which Joy Villa and Andre Soriano were keynote speakers [32]

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.[33]

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.[34]

In the same year, he was a featured speaker at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C.[35]

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.[36]

He also makes regular appearances at his local Greensboro city hall to talk about various topics.[37]

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.[38]

In July 2021, Boykin held an "American Pride Month" rally for the Peter Boykin For US Congress Campaign and The Triad Patriots in Graham, North Carolina, where he called for July to be honored as American Pride Month to honor All Americans.[39]

LGBT issues

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A self-proclaimed “proud gay Republican,” Boykin urged Americans to “get out of the bed and vote.”

Boykin has publicly stated, “Straight, gay, bi, transgender, Democrat, liberal, Republican, conservative, Libertarian… I don’t care, I am your representative.”[40][41]

In a 2018 interview in The Daily Beast, Boykin expressed support for President Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the United States military.[42]

The outlet LGBTQ Nation claimed Boykin was "dangerous to trans people,”[43] a claim that Boykin has denied.[44]

See also

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References

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  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. ^ Beauchamp, Zack (February 13, 2017). "Trump's counter-jihad". Vox.
  12. ^ Othen, Christopher (2018). Soldiers of a Different God: How the Counter-Jihad Movement Created Mayhem, Murder and the Trump Presidency. Amberley. pp. 280–281. ISBN 978-1-4456-7800-9.
  13. ^ O'Neil, Bill (October 19, 2018). "Republican challenger Peter Boykin runs for NC House 58th dist". WXXI. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  14. ^ Bush, Aleksandra (October 19, 2019). "NC State House district 58 race: Amos Quick vs. Peter Boykin". Fox 8. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Duffy, Nick (November 9, 2018). "'Gays for Trump' leader faces crushing election defeat". Pink News. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  17. ^ Broverman, Neal (November 7, 2018). "Gays for Trump President Crushed in N.C. House Race". Advocate. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  18. ^ Pattman, Elizabeth (June 29, 2021). "Independence Day events coming to Alamance County this weekend". Times-News Burlington. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Boykin For Congress Campaign Website". Boykin For Congress. May 13, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  20. ^ Battaglia, Danielle (November 17, 2021). "Who is running for Congress in 2022 in North Carolina? Here's what we know so far". The News & Observer. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  21. ^ Phillips, Dylan (March 7, 2022). "With districts drawn, candidate filing for midterms re-opens". Mebane Enterprise. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  22. ^ Groves, Isaac (March 7, 2022). "Alamance County Sheriff gets challenger on last day of candidate filing, school board incumbents let it pass". The Times News. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Skinner, Victor (March 3, 2023). "She's on a path with the familiar family name". The Center Square. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  24. ^ Key, Michael (January 20, 2017). "PHOTOS: Gays for Trump DeploraBall". Washington Blade. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  25. ^ Harlan, Landry (January 21, 2017). "DeploraBall: 'The Gayest Gala in D.C.'". Boston University News Service. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  26. ^ Moakley, Paul (January 21, 2017). "Inside Gays for Trump's Deploraball Dance Party". Boston University News Service. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  27. ^ Sherman, William (January 24, 2017). "Amid Anti-Trump Protests, One LGBTQ Group Celebrated". NBC News. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  28. ^ Montgomery, Peter (March 2, 2017). "March for Trump: Love and Unity, Trump-Style". Right Wing Watch. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  29. ^ Williams, Kale (February 24, 2017). "Counter-protest planned for Lake Oswego 'March 4 Trump'". oregonlive.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  30. ^ Wasserstrom, Shuly (February 22, 2017). "Lake Oswego business owner plans 'March 4 Trump'". koin.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  31. ^ Branfalt, Tim (March 4, 2017). "Trump backers stage series of small rallies across U.S." Reuters. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  32. ^ Chasmar, Jessica (March 6, 2017). "Joy Villa headlines pro-Trump LGBT rally: 'This is really a proud moment'". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  33. ^ Kacala, Alexander (July 3, 2017). "'Gays for Trump' Throw MAGA Mega Rally and Hardly Anyone Shows Up". Hornet. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  34. ^ Green, Jordan (June 14, 2017). "Far-Right Groups Converge on Raleigh to Protest Sharia Law, Are Outnumbered". Indy Week. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  35. ^ "Juggalos, Trump Supporters, and Critics Gather in Washington". NBC 4 Washington. September 15, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  36. ^ Randall, Devin (March 7, 2018). "The "Gays For Trump" Rally Had An Awkwardly Small Crowd This Past Weekend". Instinct. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  37. ^ Hammer, John (May 8, 2019). "City Council Town Hall Meeting Sans Disruptions". Rhino Times. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ Pattman, Elizabeth (June 29, 2021). "Independence Day events coming to Alamance County this weekend". Times-News Burlington. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ Prengel, Kate (March 13, 2019). "Peter Boykin: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  42. ^ Bellamy-Walker, Tatyana (March 11, 2018). "Peter Boykin, the Gay Trump Candidate Who's Against Transgender Troops". Daily Beast. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  43. ^ 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.
  44. ^ 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.

Further reading

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