Man goes to Sixth Street bar in Austin. Then he catches a veteran Texas musician saying something controversial

For some folks, especially those who remember the days before the internet, it can be difficult to fully register the implications of “the internet is forever.” As such, that lesson is often learned the hard way.

One man is going viral for teaching someone the lesson firsthand.

‘Let your mask slip'

On June 16, historian and martial artist Historically Prodigious (@​​historicallyprodigious) posted a TikTok video calling out Joe Vega, a Texas DJ. The video has since accumulated more than 10,000 views.

“If you live in Austin, Texas, and are near 6th Street, we need to discuss this guy,” the creator said, showing a picture of Vega at The Blind Pig Pub. “This guy is Joe Vega, and he is a musician there …”

The creator went on to add some preparatory context, saying his sister “is very, very lesbian and [he loves] her very, very much.” As such, he has zero tolerance when anyone “says anything against the LGBTQI community.”

The creator then showed screenshots of Vega leaving a comment on a social media post which criticized MMA competitor Josh Hokit for his recent comments disparaging Michelle Obama. According to Time, the UFC “fight night” at the White House this past June culminated with Hokit proclaiming, “lastly, [Michelle] Obama is a man. Am I right, America?” The post shared by the creator called for UFC CEO Dana White to crack down on Hokit.

“I hope Dana bans Josh Hokit from competing that's not the way a champion behaves, especially in front of the White House,” the anonymized post read. “I understand if you didn't like Obama, but leave [the former president's] family out of your critiques … Have a little class.”

As per the creator's screenshots, Vega left a comment under this post saying, “Eh, lefties spew much worse. I'll allow it.”

How did the creator respond?

The creator, in turn, posted a comment in response.

“Y'all always take the most inopportune moments to let your mask slip and let everyone know who you are,” the creator wrote. “Do you not understand that was a transphobic statement that you are backing up? … How many of the LGBTQIA community are in Austin? I would certainly hope your employer, the Blind Pig Pub, knows they are employing a transphobe.”

The creator then said Vega proceeded to block him and delete his own initial comment.

“But what old Joe here … doesn't understand is the internet is forever,” the creator said. “So …  I need you to understand that the Blind Pig Pub employs this musician. His name is Joe Vega,  and this is how he feels about the LGBTQI community. Just thought you should know.”

@historicallyprodigious If you're #lgbtq tourist visiting #Austin Texas, stop into the @blindpigpub and say hi to #musician ♬ original sound – รђเรยเ | THE PRODIGY

Why is Michelle Obama involved?

Hokit's recent misgendering of Michelle Obama is neither new nor something that happened in a vacuum. A 2016 Washington Post article compiled 22 “rude, racist, sexist or plain ridiculous attacks” Obama had endured by November of that year alone. Politico reported in 2015 that she had experienced a “lifetime of microaggressions.”

Moreover, a 2009 study conducted by the University of Arizona concluded “that media coverage of Michelle Obama during the months leading up to the 2008 Presidential election of her husband Barack Obama was biased, negative, and attacking, particularly given the syntactic structure of the metaphorical verbs of attack, violence and aggression used in 6% of headlines directly referencing Ms. Obama.”

However, the specifically gendered nature of Hokit's comment is rooted within a long and well-reported historical context of stripping Black women of their femininity. After his comment went viral, Afro News reported that Hokit “[resurrected] a bizarre, far-right conspiracy theory that also echoes one of the oldest tropes in the racism handbook.”

“The bigoted lie about Michelle Obama dates to former President Barack Obama's first run for the White House in 2008,” Afro News writes, referencing the decades-old conspiracy. “Since entering the public arena, activists on the right have described or depicted Michelle Obama as nearly every ugly racial stereotype — from an angry Black woman to a gorilla.”

Buzz News has reached out to both Vega and The Blind Pig Pub via email, as well as the creator via TikTok comment.