The sedition trial of five members of the extremist group The Proud Boys is underway in Washington, D.C., and the public is getting an in-depth look into the inner workings of the “Western Chauvinist” mens club.
On Monday, prosecutors entered a handbook into evidence that has been provided to Proud Boys members. The guidelines outline everything from the groups ideology, communal initiation procedures, group songs and chants, to bizarre rules banning individual behavior including the wearing of fedoras … and masturbation.
“This is our religion,” reads one rule. “A Proud Boy may not ejaculate alone more often than once every thirty days […] if he needs to ejaculate it must be within one yard of a woman with her consent. The woman may not be a prostitute.”
The rule also denies an exception for cyber-sex with one’s wife.
The document details the initiation rituals for the group’s various tiers, including the already infamous practice of punching an initiate while he recites brands of breakfast cereal, getting a Proud Boys tattoo, and engaging in one documented instance of “major conflict … for the cause.”
The guidelines grant chapters “full autonomy” to conduct business as they see fit, only requiring that they uphold the group’s belief that “West is Best.” The document specifies that while individual chapters have plenty of leeway the movement is fundamentally “about taking our civilization back” and “rebuilding the patriarchy.”
The routine proceedings outlined in the document include the group’s official song; a chant venerating guns, businessmen, and housewives; and a passage from Pat Buchanan’s The Death of The West lauding Western men as the heroes of history who defeated slavery.
The document (which Pezzola’s lawyer says is sarcastic) includes lyrics to the Proud Boys “anthem” “Proud of Your Boy” — a song from Aladdin that was the inspiration for the group’s name.
Notably, Pezzola said “Proud of Your Boy” when he filmed himself inside the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/V3tHOuGP2z
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 23, 2023
The trial, which commenced earlier this month, charges five members of the group — National Chairman Enrique Tario, organizer Joe Biggs, and members Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola — with seditious conspiracy. The government successfully convicted members of the extremist group The Oath Keepers on similar sedition charges last year.
Tarrio was arrested two days before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in connection to charges of destruction of property at a protest in the days leading up to the riot. After serving a shortened sentence, the chairman of the Proud Boys now stands accused alongside his cronies of aiding in the organization of the unrest on Jan. 6.
With the aid of Biggs, Tarrio curated a group composed of his most devoted members, known internally as the Ministry of Self Defense (MOSD). According to a federal indictment, the group, ditching the typical identifiers suggested by their handbook, obscured their affiliation and helped direct the violent mob into the Capitol. Pezzola allegedly filmed himself making a declaration of “Proud of Your Boy” after reportedly using a police officer’s baton to break through the windows of the building.
Following the attack, Tarrio took credit for the violence in a group chat with his comrades. “Make no mistake… We did this…” Tarrio wrote.
