Ariel Messman-Rucker
Tue, December 19, 2023
Rob Smith and unidentified men during the incident.
On Sunday, gay Trump supporter Rob Smith had a rude awakening when he discovered that the MAGA party is full of racists and homophobes. Who could have guessed?
“Last night in Phoenix, I was confronted and surrounded by some White Supremacists that don’t like gays or blacks in the Republican Party,” Smith wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on December 18. “They shouted ‘n*****’ and ‘f*****’ at me to make their point. However, I served in Iraq. I never back down. Ever.”
This is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t align yourself with a political party that believes you are subhuman.
The incident happened while Smith was attending America Fest, hosted by Turning Point USA, a far-right organization that pushes conservative beliefs in schools for which he is a spokesperson. He is a veteran who has also written a memoir and hosts the podcast Can’t Cancel Rob Smith, which dissects pop culture and politics with “witty commentary that stops Cancel Culture dead in its tracks.” Eye roll.
[UPDATE] On Tuesday, after the video footage went viral, Smith went on CNN to defend his claim that the crowd hurled racial slurs despite them not being audible on the video. In an interview with CNN's Abby Phillip, Smith said he was the victim of a "hate crime" and that the men who surrounded him "did say the N-word, absolutely," Newsweek reported.
"I am looking in the eyes of people that were actual neo-Nazis and actual white supremacists," he said. "There were about 20 to 25 of these people and that is what you do not see on camera. So, I had a choice to de-escalate the situation with humor, which is what I did."
Then, in a bizarre but sadly predictable turn of events, he doubled down on his commitment to Trump and the Republican party. "Do I think that this stuff is coming from the millions of people that voted for Trump? I do not, I do not," he said. "Do I think that it's something that the Trump campaign endorses or the Republican Party endorses? I do not, because I know these people and I have been around these people."
Post by @keithboykin
View on Threads
Along with the original post, Smith shared a video taken of the incident. In it, you can see Smith walking into what looks like a bar or restaurant, holding his phone out and filming the men following him while he says, “Look at that, I’ve got some fans!” as he laughs.
Things begin to take a turn when the crowd of men start chanting "gay sex." At first, Smith pumps his fist in the air along with them but then tries to joke that far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes "loves gay sex." The night quickly escalates as men can be heard shouting "f*****" at him, Queerty reported.
It’s truly astounding that anyone could be caught off guard by MAGA zealots not being downs with the gays. Have you been living under a rock?!
The video, however, doesn’t show the crowd using any racial slurs despite what Smith wrote in his social media post. But another X user, @JRMajewski, did back up his account of events, writing, “I was there… when I heard the commotion, I stood up for Rob and made sure he got out of there safely. This is the unfortunate reality of a fractured party without leadership.”
We hate to break it to you, but conservatives have been shouting racial and homophobic slurs at people for decades. You can't expect niceties from Trump supporters who welcome white supremacists with open arms.
The comment section under the post is an absolute cesspool, full of rampant homophobia and racism. Again, this is why “Log Cabin Republicans” and “gay Trump supporters” are oxymorons.
There were also people who were clearly finding it hard to have sympathy for someone who chose to align themselves with a hate-fueled political party.
“You chose to be a Republican despite knowing what they stand for. And now you want sympathy?” one person commented.
“Interesting. What group do those types identify with politically?” another X user wrote.
“These are the people who keep pushing anti-gay crap. Why associate with this element at all???” someone else commented.
Let’s hope Smith comes to his senses one of these days and stops using his vote to elect people who hate us.
Black Gay Conservative Targeted With Homophobic Slurs at Right-Wing Conference
Donald Padgett
Wed, December 20, 2023
Rob Smith Gay Black Conservative Commentator
A Black gay conservative influencer was showered with chants of “f*gg*t” by a group of white supremacists at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on Sunday evening.
Rob Smith posted a video to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday showing him being accosted by a group of young white men wearing dark suits with white shirts at the annual conservative conference. The event draws a broad spectrum of conservative notables including TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, actress Roseanne Barr, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, conservative commentator, and sportswriter Jason Whitlock among others.
“Last night in Phoenix, I was confronted and surrounded by some White Supremacists that don’t like gays or blacks in the Republican Party,” Smith posted to X.
The video appears to open after the incident began and shows Smith filming the group of young men and saying “I’ve got some fans here.”
The group then begins chanting, “Gay sex!” to which Smith responds, “Yes, Nick Fuentes loves gay sex,” referring to the far-right political commentator who was permanently banned from YouTube in 2020 after violating the platform’s hate speech policy with homophobic, racist, and misogynistic content.
The group at Turning Point erupted in boos in response and chanted, “F*gg*t!”
Smith wrote on X that they shouted racial and antigay slurs. "However, I served in Iraq. I never back down. Ever," Smith said.
— (@)
Shortly after the video was posted, a man claimed to have filmed the video responded in the comments of Smith’s post.
User Iggy Normus, Jr. claimed responsibility for the video and denied a racial slur was used in the incident. He then indirectly used the homophobic slur to disparage Smith once more.
— (@)
When a user called him “disgusting and should be banned from society,” Normus responded, “No, homosexuality should be.”
Similar homophobic comments and posts appear common for Normus. He recently objected to the announcement that gay conservative pundit Guy Benson and his husband were expecting a baby via surrogacy.
— (@)
He also retweeted a post claiming the couple has “rented a womb to acquire a baby” and characterized the event as “wicked and an abomination before God.”
— (@)
The reaction to the video drew a wide variety of responses. Many were in support of Smith and sharply criticized Normus. Some however criticized Smith for expecting a gay Black conservative to be accepted at Turning Point.
Smith has taken positions on hot-button issues that have angered some conservatives.
— (@)
The tweet drew a strongly negative response from one popular online conservative personality.
— (@)
Turning Point USA was in the news in October for an incident involving a film crew and an instructor at Arizona State University. David Boyles, a teacher at the school and the co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona, said the cameraman and the interviewer from Turning Point assaulted him. Video of the incident appears to show Boyles pushing away the camera before he is pushed to the ground by the interviewer asking questions.
The Advocate reached out to Normus for comment on the video shortly prior to publication and will include any statements if they become available.
Tue, December 19, 2023
Rob Smith and unidentified men during the incident.
On Sunday, gay Trump supporter Rob Smith had a rude awakening when he discovered that the MAGA party is full of racists and homophobes. Who could have guessed?
“Last night in Phoenix, I was confronted and surrounded by some White Supremacists that don’t like gays or blacks in the Republican Party,” Smith wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on December 18. “They shouted ‘n*****’ and ‘f*****’ at me to make their point. However, I served in Iraq. I never back down. Ever.”
This is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t align yourself with a political party that believes you are subhuman.
The incident happened while Smith was attending America Fest, hosted by Turning Point USA, a far-right organization that pushes conservative beliefs in schools for which he is a spokesperson. He is a veteran who has also written a memoir and hosts the podcast Can’t Cancel Rob Smith, which dissects pop culture and politics with “witty commentary that stops Cancel Culture dead in its tracks.” Eye roll.
[UPDATE] On Tuesday, after the video footage went viral, Smith went on CNN to defend his claim that the crowd hurled racial slurs despite them not being audible on the video. In an interview with CNN's Abby Phillip, Smith said he was the victim of a "hate crime" and that the men who surrounded him "did say the N-word, absolutely," Newsweek reported.
"I am looking in the eyes of people that were actual neo-Nazis and actual white supremacists," he said. "There were about 20 to 25 of these people and that is what you do not see on camera. So, I had a choice to de-escalate the situation with humor, which is what I did."
Then, in a bizarre but sadly predictable turn of events, he doubled down on his commitment to Trump and the Republican party. "Do I think that this stuff is coming from the millions of people that voted for Trump? I do not, I do not," he said. "Do I think that it's something that the Trump campaign endorses or the Republican Party endorses? I do not, because I know these people and I have been around these people."
Post by @keithboykin
View on Threads
Along with the original post, Smith shared a video taken of the incident. In it, you can see Smith walking into what looks like a bar or restaurant, holding his phone out and filming the men following him while he says, “Look at that, I’ve got some fans!” as he laughs.
Things begin to take a turn when the crowd of men start chanting "gay sex." At first, Smith pumps his fist in the air along with them but then tries to joke that far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes "loves gay sex." The night quickly escalates as men can be heard shouting "f*****" at him, Queerty reported.
It’s truly astounding that anyone could be caught off guard by MAGA zealots not being downs with the gays. Have you been living under a rock?!
The video, however, doesn’t show the crowd using any racial slurs despite what Smith wrote in his social media post. But another X user, @JRMajewski, did back up his account of events, writing, “I was there… when I heard the commotion, I stood up for Rob and made sure he got out of there safely. This is the unfortunate reality of a fractured party without leadership.”
We hate to break it to you, but conservatives have been shouting racial and homophobic slurs at people for decades. You can't expect niceties from Trump supporters who welcome white supremacists with open arms.
The comment section under the post is an absolute cesspool, full of rampant homophobia and racism. Again, this is why “Log Cabin Republicans” and “gay Trump supporters” are oxymorons.
There were also people who were clearly finding it hard to have sympathy for someone who chose to align themselves with a hate-fueled political party.
“You chose to be a Republican despite knowing what they stand for. And now you want sympathy?” one person commented.
“Interesting. What group do those types identify with politically?” another X user wrote.
“These are the people who keep pushing anti-gay crap. Why associate with this element at all???” someone else commented.
Let’s hope Smith comes to his senses one of these days and stops using his vote to elect people who hate us.
Black Gay Conservative Targeted With Homophobic Slurs at Right-Wing Conference
Donald Padgett
Wed, December 20, 2023
Rob Smith Gay Black Conservative Commentator
A Black gay conservative influencer was showered with chants of “f*gg*t” by a group of white supremacists at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on Sunday evening.
Rob Smith posted a video to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday showing him being accosted by a group of young white men wearing dark suits with white shirts at the annual conservative conference. The event draws a broad spectrum of conservative notables including TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, actress Roseanne Barr, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, conservative commentator, and sportswriter Jason Whitlock among others.
“Last night in Phoenix, I was confronted and surrounded by some White Supremacists that don’t like gays or blacks in the Republican Party,” Smith posted to X.
The video appears to open after the incident began and shows Smith filming the group of young men and saying “I’ve got some fans here.”
The group then begins chanting, “Gay sex!” to which Smith responds, “Yes, Nick Fuentes loves gay sex,” referring to the far-right political commentator who was permanently banned from YouTube in 2020 after violating the platform’s hate speech policy with homophobic, racist, and misogynistic content.
The group at Turning Point erupted in boos in response and chanted, “F*gg*t!”
Smith wrote on X that they shouted racial and antigay slurs. "However, I served in Iraq. I never back down. Ever," Smith said.
— (@)
Shortly after the video was posted, a man claimed to have filmed the video responded in the comments of Smith’s post.
User Iggy Normus, Jr. claimed responsibility for the video and denied a racial slur was used in the incident. He then indirectly used the homophobic slur to disparage Smith once more.
— (@)
When a user called him “disgusting and should be banned from society,” Normus responded, “No, homosexuality should be.”
Similar homophobic comments and posts appear common for Normus. He recently objected to the announcement that gay conservative pundit Guy Benson and his husband were expecting a baby via surrogacy.
— (@)
He also retweeted a post claiming the couple has “rented a womb to acquire a baby” and characterized the event as “wicked and an abomination before God.”
— (@)
The reaction to the video drew a wide variety of responses. Many were in support of Smith and sharply criticized Normus. Some however criticized Smith for expecting a gay Black conservative to be accepted at Turning Point.
Smith has taken positions on hot-button issues that have angered some conservatives.
— (@)
The tweet drew a strongly negative response from one popular online conservative personality.
— (@)
Turning Point USA was in the news in October for an incident involving a film crew and an instructor at Arizona State University. David Boyles, a teacher at the school and the co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona, said the cameraman and the interviewer from Turning Point assaulted him. Video of the incident appears to show Boyles pushing away the camera before he is pushed to the ground by the interviewer asking questions.
The Advocate reached out to Normus for comment on the video shortly prior to publication and will include any statements if they become available.
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