The Trans March has always been a very radical space where queer electeds catch heat for their positions on issues that the trans community cares about, whether it is gentrification, homelessness, or Gaza.
This isn’t a new phenomenon and all the queer politicians know they face the gauntlet when they show up at Dolores Park. Mayor Lurie got chased off last year. Mayor Ed Lee got chased off. Even Mark Leno was booed. The Trans March stopped allowing electeds on the stage because the community was upset with their positions, and refused to be used as a photo-op to advance careers.
So when Scott Weiner showed up and get yelled at, I wasn’t exactly surprised. And it’s hard for me to believe anyone who has ever been to a Trans March would be. You might disagree with those who confronted him, but you know that this is the radical space where that will happen. I have seen Scott yelled at and booed off-stage multiple times.
I would note that Scott’s response is to attack the Trans March on a national level, sending out a press release to every press outlet in the country including the NY Times, and almost immediately sending out a fundraising email asking for money because he was confronted. Many in the community object to his pro-gentrification policies and his anti-homeless actions—and yes, the trans community cares about Gaza too.
I would also note that on the heels of this happening the San Francisco Police Department came down extremely hard on the Trans March two nights in a row. The first night they came out swinging because two people were using spray paint: the cops, who were overwhelmingly represented, pepper-sprayed and mass-arrested those . I am pretty sure that Mayor Lurie had to know about this and he didn’t rein them in at all.
And then a group of trans people were harassed by cops the next night at an outdoor party. Is it related? Is it retaliation for what happened to Wiener? Some think so, and so far neither he nor Lurie have spoken out to make the community feel safer.
As someone who helped organize the first Trans March over 22 years ago, It really upsets me to see the cops lashing out at the trans community, on Pride weekend. This is terrible, and SF should be ashamed for treating us like this.
