“I’ve condemned Netanyahu and his extremist government and the devastation they’ve inflicted on Gaza,” Wiener, the leather-wearing politician wrote on X Sunday afternoon. “I’ve stopped short of calling it genocide, but I can’t anymore.”

Wiener’s post followed boos from the audience during a rapid-fire question round during the forum, when candidates were asked if Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The senator, who is Jewish, had previously been a staunch advocate in support of Israel.

His opponents, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and former congressional staffer Saikat Chakrabarti, held up signs saying “yes.” Wiener did not raise a “yes” or “no” sign, later saying the issue was more complex than the format allowed.

The social media post denouncing Israel went up with a 90-second video explaining his reasoning.

“For many Jews, associating the word ‘genocide’ with the Jewish state of Israel is deeply painful and frankly traumatic,” Wiener said. “But despite that pain and trauma, we all have eyes.”

The gay politician is a regular at San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair, where he’s been spotted wearing a leather vest and tie, and has described himself as a staunch advocate for drag culture.

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Wiener has backed policies supporting gender-affirming care for minors, allowing nonbinary designations on government IDs — which the federal government has opposed — and ending laws that require adults who had oral or anal sex with minors to be automatically placed on sex offender registries, arguing those laws disproportionately target LGBTQ youth.

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