October 20, 2021
Homocom Brandon Straka Pleaded Guilty to Insurrection Charges
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The Washington Post reported that on October 6 homocon Brandon Straka, who spoke at a pro-Donald Trump rally in Washington on Jan. 5, pleaded guilty Wednesday to disorderly conduct during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
"Brandon Straka, 44, a former New York City hairstylist, admitted in plea papers to recording himself during the Capitol breach in front of a mobbed entrance, urging a crowd to wrest away a riot shield from a police officer and shouting: 'Take it! Take it!' "
"The crowd successfully pulled the shield away from the officer as the officer appeared to be trying to move back toward the entrance of the building. The officer then went back into the crowd to get his shield back. Several people pulled on the shield as the officer grabbed it, thus pulling the officer deeper into the crowd," according to the court documents.
Previously the social media influencer launched the #WalkAway social media campaign, promoted himself as a gay former liberal, and has encouraged voters to leave the Democratic Party, adds the WP.
On October 8, LGBTQ Nation reports, Straka sent an email to his WalkAway followers seeking their help. "Start posting positive things that you believe about me. Push back against the one sided hate attacks that are happening right now."
He also claimed he did not enter the Capitol. "I still have nothing to say about my case, other than this- as it's being widely (and likely INTENTIONALLY) misreported: I did NOT enter the Capitol building... Almost every story I've read so far says or implies that I went inside. I did NOT."
He added that he feels he's been vilified on social media. "The amount of hatred being leveled at me this week is unlike anything I've experienced the past 4 years. I feel like I'm being attacked by an army."
He asks followers to "Please send love. Love. Love. LOVE." He then further requests that his followers "tell your husbands, boyfriends, sons, and fathers to sign up for my emails!
"I only get about 1 out of 100 emails from men. lol," he explains. "I love my women followers, but also want to hear from the guys that we're all going to get through this in one piece."
He continued to plea his case two days later with an email on October 10 in which he described how the political divide in the nation is being reflected in his family relations. "There are so many things I long to tell you all about, including the ways in which members of my own family have turned their backs on me this year.
"To be clear, my parents have been rock solid by my side through this whole thing- I can't say the same for just about every other person in my family."
Saying he will "never lose hope and optimism that we will continue to wake people up, share the light, and heal many of these broken relationships," he noted he "will not be moving forward in my life with the majority of my biological family relationships."���
