Pro-Israel Democrat Scott Wiener Forced Out of SF Trans March by Gaza Protesters, Then Flooded With Donations

What Happened at Dolores Park

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, had attended the Trans March every year since its founding in 2004. On Friday, June 27, that streak ended.

As Wiener walked through Dolores Park to participate in a trans-led Pride Shabbat service connected to the march, a group of demonstrators ran up to him, surrounded him, and confronted him over his stance on Israel and Gaza. Newsweek reported the video of the incident was viewed more than 5 million times on X.

The footage shows multiple people, some wearing balaclavas, following Wiener through the park. One person yelled "we f---ing hate you, you piece of s--t." Another said "everybody f---ing hates you." A third told him he had "stopped being queer the moment you started supporting Israel."

The person who originally posted the clip, Dimitry Yakoushkin, was audible acknowledging Wiener's record on trans legislation while condemning his Gaza position. "You've been wonderful for trans people, and you've been terrible on Gaza. You do not belong here anymore Scott and it breaks my heart," Yakoushkin said.

Wiener posted a statement on X the following day saying the group made physical contact with him, referenced his "Israeli handlers," and escalated to the point it was "impossible for me to safely remain in the park." His campaign reported the incidents to the San Francisco Police Department, according to particle.news.

A Pattern This Week

This was not an isolated event. Particle.news reported Wiener faced a separate confrontation earlier in the week, when a man allegedly cornered him and staffers at a Mission District bar while shouting abuse before being ejected.

Wiener wrote on Saturday: "When opposition and disagreement transition to harassment...that crosses a line."

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie called the language directed at Wiener "targeted, hateful, and antisemitic," according to particle.news. California Senate leaders and LGBTQ lawmakers also condemned the confrontation, with Fox News reporting they said Wiener deserved "dignity and respect."

The Gaza Complexity

Wiener is Jewish and has a long record of championing LGBTQ legislation. The protesters themselves acknowledged it. The tension here is real and not easily dismissed.

Earlier this year, Wiener publicly stated he believes Israel committed genocide in Gaza, according to particle.news. That put him at odds with many pro-Israel Democrats but did not satisfy pro-Palestinian activists, who apparently view any level of support for Israel's right to exist as disqualifying. The protesters were not operating from ignorance of Wiener's record. They knew it and rejected him anyway.

The strongest version of the protesters' position: in their view, legislative achievements for LGBTQ people do not offset what they consider complicity in mass civilian casualties. Some Palestinian solidarity activists argue that showing up at Pride events while holding a position they call genocidal is itself a provocation, and that physical presence in a community space signals endorsement they do not grant.

That argument deserves to be stated clearly. Whatever the merits of the underlying policy dispute, the tactic is intimidation. Surrounding any elected official on any issue and making physical contact is not protest. It is harassment, and Wiener's campaign was right to report it to police.

The Political Fallout

Wiener is running to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in California's heavily Democratic 11th Congressional District. Pelosi announced she would not seek reelection, and the race has drawn multiple prominent Democrats, according to Newsweek.

If the intent of Friday's confrontation was to damage Wiener politically, the immediate financial result was the opposite. SF Standard reported Saturday that Wiener's congressional campaign saw its highest single-day donor count since launching. "Since Friday, I've just had a tidal wave, an outpouring of support," Wiener told SF Standard. "I have hundreds and hundreds of unread text messages I have not gotten to yet."

His campaign declined to share the specific dollar amount raised.

The Open Question

Particle.news noted this revives a long local pattern of Trans March attendees rejecting politicians from the space. What remains unresolved is whether SFPD will pursue any charges related to the physical contact Wiener described, and whether the congressional race will ultimately turn on his Gaza position or on the backlash to how that position has been protested.