In this op-ed, Siobhán McGuirk explains how white masculinity ties in with the reactions to the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville.

The fragility of white masculinity — which seemingly causes men to aggressively assert their “manliness” alongside their whiteness — has been on display yet again in Charlottesville. That’s not surprising. Just as the white supremacist members of the so-called “alt-right” believe all white people are members of a "superior race", they also believe that men should have total domination over women and see feminism as a scourge. They have also shown hatred toward LGBTQ+ people — particularly transwomen. These white nationalists are deeply threatened by campaigns against patriarchy, heterosexism, and misogyny, as well as by anti-racist movements.

In this context, the homophobic undercurrents of online commentaries opposing white nationalism are troubling.

Following the lead of the Twitter account @YesYoureRacist, photos of men marching with Tiki torches across Nameless Field at the University of Virginia on Friday night have gone viral. The aim is to name and shame Unite the Right attendees — to hold them accountable for their incendiary and racist actions. Amid hundreds of responses to these photos a popular theme emerges: These are not “real men.”

Some comments and memes are played for laughs, and chime in with crybaby and “mama’s boys!” jibes.

Given the fragility of white masculinity, it’s understandable that appalled onlookers want to skewer the “tough man” posturing of extremist right-wing groups. Or perhaps people are trying to find humor in dark times. But this joke is only funny if you buy into harmful stereotypes about what it means to “be a man.”

One Facebook photo album of Unite the Right attendees was shared over 83,000 times before being made private on Tuesday. Under three of the photos, I counted that nearly one in 12 commenters used a sexist or homophobic slur. To these posters the men in the photos were “little bitches” and “pussies” who wouldn't last long in a “real fight.” Others noted, “of course they’re single!” and joked that they were probably virgins. As Roqayah Chamseddine argued in Elle this week, the idea that “getting laid” can dissuade men from Fascism or that having sex is the marker of a “real man,” only “embolden[s] violent masculinity.”

Virginity is not the only “accusation” thrown at white nationalist men, however. Comments about “missing Pride” or suggesting that they have boyfriends implies these "soft" men must be gay. Other posters were more explicit, speculating that these white nationalists “suck d**k,” or “looks like a f****t to me!”