Who is Tara LaRosa? Proud Boys scorn at Proud Girls co-founder, ask her to 'get married, have babies'
In a bizarre war of words, the Proud Boys are reportedly tussling with a transphobic MMA fighter who calls herself the "Den Mother" of a rival group that she recently formed. Tara LaRosa and the Proud Girls have been branded by the Proud Boys as "ridiculous" and have reportedly told them to stick to raising kids, according to The Sun.
The cage fighter shot back saying, "I am tougher than 99% of you alleged men," and branded them "crybaby P**ker Boys," the Daily Beast reported. According to the report, the trouble began when the martial artist set up a transphobic Telegram channel called Proud Girls. In a response within hours, the ProudBoysUSA channel labeled it a "ridiculous" idea and told the group not to "ride our coattails." “Want to support us? Get married, have babies, and take care of your family," they added.
"This is a men's club. If you're not in a relationship with a Proud Boy, at worst, you're a groupie," read a later post on the Oklahoma Proud Boys channel.
The following day, the former Invicta FC and Ultimate Fighter contender amped up the drama by declaring herself the “Noble Den Mother” of the Proud Girls. “She will lead us to wreck Antifa like even the PBs have not. She could probably beat up any Proud Boy in the world," a post read.
42-year-old LaRosa has previously marched with the Proud Boys in Washington DC in November. According to her, the Proud Girls have received considerable support from presidents of PB chapters in South Carolina, Idaho, and New York City. According to the Daily Beast, a group called the Proud Boys' Girls was launched on Facebook in 2016. However, that account shut down two years ago after garnering a few thousand followers.
LaRosa's professional mixed martial arts record is 22-5. The 42-year-old debuted in the sport in 2002 and her last fight was in 2015, when she defeated Katie Howard after a series of losses.
That said, the Proud Boys has been described as an alt-right organization that was formed in New York City in 2016. The nationalist group has appeared alongside other alt-right groups at controversial gatherings, including the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2018, that killed one and injured 19 others.
According to the report, there are fears that the far-right organization along with other radical groups could spark violence once President Donald Trump leaves the White House on January 20. Speaking to MSNBC, liberal political analyst Jason Johnson said he expects far-right outfits to repeat "the sort of ugly scenes" witnessed in DC earlier this month. The Proud Boys grabbed headlines in September this year when Trump allegedly told them to "stand back and stand by" during the first presidential debate. Nonetheless, he was accused of refusing to denounce white supremacists, albeit he has disavowed their support in the past.
"I condemn the KKK, I condemn all White supremacists, I condemn the Proud Boys," Trump told reporters after the event. “I don't know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that.”