Bay Area lawmaker sounds alarm on homophobia, antisemitism driving recent violence
SAN FRANCISCO – In wake of recent violence, including a mass shooting at an LGBT nightclub over the weekend, State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco is sounding the alarm on rising homophobia and antisemitism.
"It makes me really sad that in 2022, there are still people out there, a lot of people out there, who hate Jews. Who want us to disappear because that kind of hatred leads to violence against Jews," Wiener told KPIX 5.
The senator is no stranger to unsettling messages. As an openly gay, Jewish lawmaker Wiener has made it a point to stand up for himself and his peers.
"I'm the tip of the iceberg," said Wiener. "For every person who's public like me, who's getting these kinds of threats and comments, there are thousands of people that no one knows who they are and who have no access to resources, or no ability to really show the world what's happening to them. So as a legislator, it's really important for me to help play that role."
Wiener said antisemitism and homophobia directed at him has increased over the last several years.
On November 8, he tweeted out one particularly awful message he received through social media attacking him as an openly gay man, and as a Jew.
"As a gay Jewish man, I represent everything, almost everything that they hate, and so much of what they hate about people who don't fit their definition of how you're supposed to be," said Wiener.
In 2021 the Anti-Defamation League reported a 34% increase in anti-Semitic incidents marking the highest number of incidents since the group began tracking anti-Semitic behavior in 1979.
The uptick in antisemitism has been felt throughout the greater Jewish community. Security is clear and present at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, where David Goldman has served as executive director for eight years.
"Oh, there is no question that there is a much higher level of unease, of uncertainty, of wondering what we've all thought of the way America is in the past is really the way it is now or the way it will be in the future," Goldman told KPIX 5.
Goldman said the temple has increased security and its relationships with local and federal law enforcement. But he believes coexistence can still be a reality.
"It's more education, it's solving more of some of the underlying ills of society, it's addressing inequality, it's working more with our partners and so you can imagine a future where these types of things that community feels the LGBTQ+ community feels from last night or Asian American partners have felt over the years or our African American partners have felt over the years," Goldman continued.
"It has really fostered a sense of cooperation among all of those groups, that I think is a good by itself. And then you can see a world where all those groups feel more empowered, because they're not alone anymore. They're all working together."
As for Wiener, he said he will continue to stand publicly against hate, and proudly in his identity to show others that hope trumps hate.
"It's really important for me and anyone else to be very public and proud of who we are," Wiener added. "I'm proud to be Jewish. I'm proud to be a gay man, and I will always fight for my community and I'll never shy away from that. I think it's really important for people not to hide their identities because they're concerned about how other people are going to react because that just fuels the hatred."
