California state Sen. Scott Wiener says he was harassed and physically intimidated during San Francisco’s annual Trans March, forcing him to leave the event for the first time in its 22-year history.
The out, gay, Jewish Democrat, who represents San Francisco and is running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi in Congress, took to Instagram to share his experience following Friday night’s march.
“I attend each year in solidarity with our trans siblings, who are facing existential threats from right-wing extremists, including the President,” Wiener writes. “This was the first year I could not safely remain.”
According to Wiener, he was walking through Dolores Park to attend a trans-led Pride Shabbat service when a group of demonstrators approached him, surrounded him, and began yelling while making physical contact.
“They made statements about my ‘Israeli handlers,’ among many other inaccurate, extreme, and vile statements,” he writes. “They were so physically and verbally aggressive that it was impossible for me to safely remain in the park.”
Videos shared online show protesters confronting Wiener over his support for Israel during the war in Gaza while also acknowledging his long record of supporting transgender rights. One protester told the senator, “You’ve been wonderful for trans people,” before criticizing his stance on Gaza and telling him, “You do not belong here anymore.”
Wiener said he fully supports peaceful protest but believes the confrontation crossed a line.
“I have no objection whatsoever to anyone disagreeing with me, opposing me, or protesting me,” he wrote. “All of that is core to democracy. But when opposition and disagreement transition to harassment, including cornering me, touching me, or trying to physically bully me out of a public event, that crosses a line.”
The incident came just days after Wiener said he experienced another confrontation while watching a FIFA Club World Cup match at a Mission District bar. According to the senator, a man cornered him and two female staff members, shouted abuse, and continued yelling outside the business after being removed by employees. Wiener said the same individual had previously stalked him during a flight and at an airport in 2023 while making antisemitic remarks.
The confrontation also comes as concerns over political violence against LGBTQ+ elected officials continue to grow. A recent report from the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute found that nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ candidates experienced in-person harassment during their campaigns, while nearly one-third reported receiving online death threats.
Several public officials and LGBTQ+ advocates condemned what happened during the march. U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin called the harassment “unacceptable,” writing that there is “no place for hate speech, harassment, and violence.”
Jonathan Lovitz, senior vice president of campaigns and communications at the Human Rights Campaign, also denounced the incident, warning that antisemitism has become increasingly visible in some LGBTQ+ spaces.
Transgender activist and Army veteran Charlotte Clymer likewise defended Wiener, calling the confrontation “disgusting, appalling, and unacceptable,” while thanking him for his years of advocacy for transgender equality.
Ironically, Wiener has actually recently changed his stance on Israel, earning the ire of some zionist groups and the respect of pro-Palestinians when he denounced the genocide Israel is committing in the video below.
In a statement on his website, Wiener clarifies that he is not anti-Israel overall but is vehemently opposed to Israel’s current actions.
“Through its settlement and land expropriation policies, the Netanyahu Administration is escalating the conflict, making both Palestinians and Israelis less safe, and jeopardizing world support for a nation that absolutely must continue to exist as a democratic haven for Jews around the world. As someone who loves Israel and wants to see it thrive in peace and security, I am furious that Prime Minister Netanyahu—desperate to cling to power, facing a corruption trial, and unable to win an election—continues with these escalations. Prime Minister Netanyahu is harming both Israel and Palestine by undermining the possibility of achieving peace through a two-state solution. His policies lead to a never-ending cycle of escalation, death, and hatred, with no one winning and everyone suffering.
The confrontation has since ignited a wider debate over political purity, antisemitism, and whether spaces built on inclusion can remain united amid increasingly polarized divisions.
Photo courtesy of social media
