KHive members find celebration and a shared common objective on Twitter. They defend US Vice President Kamala Harris against what they perceive to be an unequal norm applied to political women of color. The biggest fights between Harris's supporters and fellow liberals have gotten personal at times.
KHives: Kamala Harris' online fans who will do anything to defend her
Twitter also deleted the accounts of particular users. As New York Post reporter Laura Italiano announced her resignation this week due to an inaccurate article she was reportedly ordered to write about Vice President Kamala Harris, she was overwhelmed by a crowd of furious Harris supporters.
Italiano was also feeling the pain of the so-called "KHive," Harris's intensely devoted online fan club that has been celebrating and defending the vice president since she became a senator in 2017. They upload selfies in yellow and purple merchandise with her name on them, upload videos of the vice president's addresses, and comment on her various outfits.
The group comes together to honor the vice president and uphold the policies she supports. Members of the KHive come out to support racial, gender, and LGBTQ equality. They advocate abortion rights and congratulate Harris for her carbon-neutral climate strategy.
The KHive's support was evident in the months leading up to the 2020 election, where several members felt compelled to defend Harris. Vice President Harris was a victim in Washington since she was the first Black and South Asian woman to be endorsed for vice president by either major party. She endured a barrage of racial and misogynistic harassment.
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KHives are encouraged to speak out for Kamala Harris
Members of the KHive tell Insider that because of Harris' role's historical significance, they feel encouraged to speak out. Last year, a Huffington Post investigation discovered nearly a dozen individuals who said they had been targeted or harassed by certain self-identified KHive members.
Several individuals have said that their personal information was leaked publicly after fans launched hate campaigns against them for previously supporting Democratic candidates. Two women reported that KHive members made veiled threats against their children. And one person claimed that they were forced to relocate their family due to fear of physical harm temporarily, Business Insider reported.
Chantay Berry, a 34-year-old Brooklyn College graduate student and KHive supporter who has previously participated in online discussions, told Insider that the online political environment could be toxic. KHive members have once harassed individuals who have criticized Harris's record as a lawyer or who have criticized her move away from Sen. Bernie Sanders's "Medicare for All" bill.
Sanders's press secretary during the 2020 presidential primary, Briahna Joy Gray, has accused the group of bullying her on several occasions. However, the group also fiercely opposes right-wing media outlets, such as the New York Post, which has strongly criticized Harris on various topics, including immigration, over the last 100 days.
According to LA Times, Harris has courted the KHive's loud and proud despite Biden's low-key online profile. It's not hard to see why. Its supporters have a sense of passionate solidarity, which she missed during her presidential primary campaign in 2020.
Others said they are volunteering with her and the Democratic Party offline. However, she avoids being drawn into some more personal and contentious squabbles among partisans if she becomes too reactive to online discussions or gets dragged into some of the more personal and provocative disputes among partisans.
