Peter Boykin (born May 13, 1977) is an American activist, known for being the founder and president of

Gays for Trump Gays for Trump is an American LGBTQ organization that supports the U.S. president Donald Trump and his administration. Peter Boykin is the founder and serves as president of the organization. Activities On July 19, 2016, Gays for Trump hosted a ...

. A member of the Republican Party, Boykin was a candidate in the 2024 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election.

Early life and education

Peter Boykin was born in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and grew up in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He now resides in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. His parents were conservative Catholics who campaigned for

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. He holds an

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

in information systems technology from

Danville Community College Danville Community College (DCC) is one of the twenty-three two-year colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). It is located in Danville, Virginia. Unlike many of the other VCCS schools, it predates the formation of a statewid ...

, a Bachelor of Science in web development, a Master of Science (M.S.) in information security and assurance from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, and a M.S. in e-commerce and entrepreneurship from Purdue.

Political career

2016 support for Donald Trump

Boykin is a public supporter of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. 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 Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

messaging and outreach. Gays for Trump also organized events, like the ''“WAKE UP!”'' party at the

2016 Republican National Convention The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party (United States), Republican Party chose the party's nominees for President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United Sta ...

to celebrate Trump's

nomination Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In ...

as the Republican Party candidate. In attendance were prominent far-right figures, such as former

Breitbart ''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...

news editor

Milo Yiannopoulos Milo Yiannopoulos (; ''né'' Hanrahan; born 18 October 1984) is a British far-right political commentator. His speeches and writings criticise Islam, feminism, and social justice. Yiannopoulos is a former editor of ''Breitbart News'', an Americ ...

. The event was also seen to link gays with the

counter-jihad Counter-jihad (also known as the counter-jihad movement) is a self-titled Islamophobia, anti-Muslim political movement loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, demonstrators, and other activists across the Western world. Proponents are ...

movement in the aftermath of the

Orlando nightclub shooting On , 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States before Orlando Police officers fatally shot him after a three-hour standoff. I ...

, as other speakers included

Pamela Geller Pamela Geller (born 1958) is an American anti-Muslim, far-right political activist, blogger and commentator. Geller promoted birther conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama, saying that he was born in Kenya and that he is a Muslim. ...

and

Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...

2018 North Carolina House election

In February 2018, he announced that he was running for the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

to represent District 58. After advancing from the

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

on May 8, 2018, and receiving the backing of the

North Carolina Republican Party The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley was the chair from 2019 until his election as national chair in March 2024. It is currentl ...

, he lost in the general election on November 6, 2018 to the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh. The party contr ...

candidate,

Amos Quick Amos Lewis Quick III (born August 14, 1968) is an American politician. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. Th ...

by a margin of more than 50 percentage points.

2021 US congressional election

In May 2021, he announced that he was running for US Congress to represent

after incumbent

Ted Budd Theodore Paul Budd (born October 21, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator for North Carolina since 2023. A member of the Republica ...

announced his departure from Congress to run for the Senate seat vacated by

Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from North Carolina from 2005 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United Stat ...

. In November 2021, Boykin announced his intention to run in the newly-formed 7th Congressional District. However, Boykin later suspended his congressional campaign, instead opting to run for the

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

2022 North Carolina House election

In 2022, Peter Boykin ran for

House District 63; he failed to advance to the general election, garnering only 170 votes in the Republican primary.

2024 North Carolina Lieutenant Governor election

Peter Boykin was a candidate for the office

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member of ...

in the 2024 election. He was defeated in the Republican primary with 3.46% of the vote.

Activism

Rallies and events

After the 2016 election of Donald Trump, Boykin planned and hosted the "Gay" DeploraBall presidential inauguration event in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, on the night of

President Trump's inauguration Inauguration of Donald Trump may refer to: * First inauguration of Donald Trump, 2017 * Second inauguration of Donald Trump The United States presidential inauguration, inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States to ...

. There was a series of more than two dozen demonstrations organized throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on March 4, 2017, in support of President Trump. Boykin helped organize and ran the March 4 Trump event in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, at which

Joy Villa Joy Angela Villa (; born April 25, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and right-wing YouTuber. A political conservative, Villa is known for her outspoken support of U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as her opposition to the C ...

and

Andre Soriano Andre Soriano (born September 17, 1970) is an American fashion designer, specializing in couture and wedding gowns. He is also a reality television star. Early life and education Soriano was born and raised to a Filipino family in Manila, Phi ...

were keynote speakers In 2017, the organization Gays for Trump organized a "

Make America Great Again "Make America Great Again" (MAGA, ) is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and in 2024. "MAGA" is also used to refer to Trump's ideology, political bas ...

Free Speech Rally" on the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...

near the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

on Saturday, July 1, which 18 people attended. Boykin blamed the low turnout on people celebrating the July 4 holiday weekend. Also in 2017, Boykin was the local coordinator for the

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

anti-sharia rally, one of a series organized nationally by

ACT for America ACT for America, also referred to as ACT! for America, founded in 2007, is a US based advocacy group that stands against what it perceives as "the threat of radical Islam" to Americans. The group has been characterized by some media outlets as a ...

. 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. In the same year, he was a featured speaker at the

Mother of All Rallies The Mother of All Rallies (M.O.A.R.) was a rally held on September 16, 2017, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States, in support of President Donald Trump. The event was held on the same day as other demonstrations throughout the ...

in Washington, D.C. In 2018, Boykin held a second March 4 Trump rally at the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...

in Washington, D.C. ''

The Washington Blade The ''Washington Blade'' is an LGBTQ newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBTQ newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the '' Philadelphia Gay News'' and the '' Gay City New ...

'' 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. He also makes regular appearances at his local Greensboro

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

to talk about various topics. In July 2019, Boykin gave a speech at the "Demand Free Speech" rally held by the far-right

Proud Boys The Proud Boys is an American far-right politics, far-right, Neo-fascism, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence and militancy: ...

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. 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 Graham is a city and the county seat of Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census the population was 17,153. History Graham was laid ou ...

, where he called for July to be honored as American Pride Month to honor All Americans.

LGBT issues

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.” In a 2018 interview in ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'', Boykin expressed support for President Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the United States military. The outlet

LGBTQ Nation ''LGBTQ Nation'' is an American online news magazine headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 2009 and is currently owned by ''Q.Digital''. The website is primarily marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and q ...

claimed Boykin was "dangerous to trans people,” a claim that Boykin has denied.

References

External links

* PeterBoykin.com * http://Boykin4NC.com/ * http://GoRightNews.com/ * http://GaysForTrump.org/ * http://GayConservativesOfAmerica.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Boykin, Peter 1977 births Living people 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century North Carolina politicians 21st-century American writers 21st-century Roman Catholics Activists from North Carolina American counter-jihad activists American founders American free speech activists American gay writers LGBTQ conservatism in the United States LGBTQ Roman Catholics Male critics of feminism North Carolina Republicans Purdue University alumni Roman Catholic activists