California State Senator Scott Wiener says he was harassed, threatened, and physically intimidated while attending San Francisco’s Trans March, forcing him to leave the annual event for the first time since it began in 2004. Wiener, an out gay Jewish Democrat representing San Francisco and a candidate to succeed retiring Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, said a group surrounded him in Dolores Park as he headed to a trans-led Pride Shabbat service.
Wiener wrote, “Last night I attended the trans march, as I’ve done each year for the past 22 years since the first march in 2004….They made statements about my ‘Israeli handlers,’ among many other inaccurate, extreme, and vile statements…They were so physically and verbally aggressive that it was impossible for me to safely remain in the park…I have no objection whatsoever to anyone disagreeing with me, opposing me, or protesting me. 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 has drawn condemnation from elected officials and LGBTQ+ advocates, including the Human Rights Campaign and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute leaders, who warned about rising political intimidation and antisemitism targeting LGBTQ+ public officials.
