Gay lawmaker and senator Scott Wiener
Senator Scott Wiener (D-CA) (Photo: Supplied)

California State Senator Scott Weiner attended the Folsom Fair in San Francisco over the weekend. The famous, adults-only event is a celebration of the queer leather and kink community. It dates back to 1984 and is now the world’s largest leather event.

Wiener is an out-gay man and proud advocate of LGBTQ+ rights. The Democrat has posted photos of himself at the Folsom Street Fair in the past.

After receiving backlash in the past for his attendance at the event, this year he made an effort to dress a little more modestly. He included a leather tie to his ensemble.

The rest of his outfit consisted of a pair of black jeans and a leather armband. He was topless.

He posted a photo to social media and added a caption saying, “Going all Senatorial at Folsom.”

Some people praised him for living his authentic, queer life.

“You look AMAZING!” said one person on Instagram. “The only reason haters are hating on you is because your confidence & freedom reminds them of their own insecurities. Shine on brother!”

Others also praised his appearance, with one dubbing him, “Senator Abs”.

However, predictably the photo prompted something of a MAGA meltdown when Weiner shared it to X.

There were hundreds of similarly critical, often homophobic, comments.

Even Elon Musk, owner of X, felt moved to blast Wiener as an “utter scumbag.”

Others clapped back against the vileness.

“So many haters!” said another person on Instagram. “He is open about his sexuality. He is open with his actions. Show me another politician that does that. So many others are closeted and damaging. He has no shirt on and is smiling on a beautiful day. It’s a free country. If you don’t like it, leave it.”

Wiener’s 2024 look follows up last year’s outfit: a leather waistcoat.

Banning public nudity

Wiener, 54, was elected to office in November 2016. His district covers the whole of San Francisco, along with Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City.

Wiener was born in Philadelphia and raised in southern New Jersey. He received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

He moved to San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood in 1997 to work as a litigation attorney, before becoming a deputy city attorney in 2002.

Before his 2016 election, he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He covered the district previously represented by the assassinated LGBTQ icon, Supervisor Harvey Milk.

Since taking office in the California Senate in 2016, Wiener’s authored dozens of bills. His priorities include tackling the housing shortage in San Francisco, clean energy, and mental health.

As a city supervisor, in 2012, Wiener spearheaded moves to ban nudity in public places in San Francisco.

“Freedom, expression, and acceptance does not mean anything goes under any circumstances,” Wiener said at the time.

Opponents of the legislation argued that it curtailed their freedom of expression. Public nudity is now banned in the city, but exemptions are made for particular events, including the Folsom Street Fair.

You’d think some on the right would thank Wiener for banning nudity across the city. Clearly, his leather tie and jeans are just too much for them!

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