(Daily Mail) A heated clash between trans rights activists and radical feminists hosting a women’s rights conference in San Francisco devolved over the weekend.
Women’s Declaration International held their 2nd National Women’s Convention at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District from September 15 to 17.
Videos posted around 7pm on Saturday show a growing crowd outside the hotel.
People raise their middle finger to the cameras and carry signs speaking out against TERFs or ‘trans-exclusionary radical feminists.’ One sign reads ‘Millions of dead TERFs.’
The term ‘TERF’ is used to describe people whose views on gender identity are seen as hostile towards transgender people.
One sign read ‘Millions of dead TERFs.’ It is unclear whether it was a reference to the band MDC (Millions of Dead Cops) or a call to violence
A crowd continued to build outside the Hilton San Francisco in the city’s Financial District as those attending the conference were barricaded inside for their safety
Protestors flipped off cameras when they noticed they were being filmed
San Francisco trans activists. At this point about eight of them scaled the fence and rushed @StopXXErasure and I, tried to attack us. We ran. We had a couple of guys with us who they also attacked (unsuccessfully). It was terrifying. They also hit the hotel GM. pic.twitter.com/XSWR2Y4dBq
— Meghan Murphy (@MeghanEMurphy) September 16, 2023
It most often refers to those who oppose their inclusion of transgender women in spaces reserved for women.
Brette Smith, an anti-trans activist, said hotel security locked the hotel doors as a protective measure as the protest ramped up.
‘They basically locked us in to lock them out,’ she explained as she filmed the commotion outside.
Some people noticed her filming and raised their middle finger. A crowd began to shout ‘F**k the TERFs, go to hell’ and F**k you fascists’ in unison.
A person in a skinsuit and black corset, upon noticing the camera, began to thrust their hips in a crass manner.
‘Oh, he’s doing the suck it sign again! Because, as a woman, that is something we do all the time,’ Smith said.
She likened one protestor to Jesus due to their facial hair and commenting: ‘Look at that stunning and brave woman in purple.’
A video posted to Twitter by Meghan Murphy, Canadian journalist and feminist writer, captures the scene from the rooftop of the hotel.
A crowd stands at an intersection down below, equipped with pride flags and posters. Some scream ‘F**k you!’ and ‘F**k off!’
Some activists carried signs and posters while other chanted ‘F***k TERFs!’ and taunted the women filming from above
K Wang, an anti-trans activist who hosted a panel at the event, said the sign in front of the hotel was smashed with a hammer. Photos show it defaced with anti-TERF rhetoric and sexual language
Protestors compared the women in attendance to fascists and Nazis
Trantifa in all its glory. How dare women congregate to talk about our sex-based rights and exclude such stunning and brave ladies. @WDI_USA @KDansky @MeghanEMurphy @StopXXErasure pic.twitter.com/Hl6b44KZnH
— Brette Smith (@BretteDutton) September 16, 2023
A protestor with a microphone taunts, ‘Come down from your little hidey-hole. You’re f**king scared.’
Someone else repeatedly screams ‘You’re a f**king Nazi!’
‘San Francisco trans activists. At this point about eight of them scaled the fence and rushed @StopXXErasure and I, tried to attack us. We ran,’ Murphy wrote, mentioning that one of the attackers hit the hotel general manager.
She tagged former trans activist K Yang, who was hosting a panel titled ‘Desisted Women’ at 10am that day.
Yang posted a video to her own Instagram story, showing the view from up above.
The video was captioned: ‘Right after a man took a hammer to the bottom of the Hilton hotel sign and smashed it in an attempt to intimidate women from speaking & having opinions in public.’
WDI posted images of the Hilton sign after it had been peppered with graffiti and smashed.
Protestors scrawled messages like ‘F**k TERFs’ and ‘Have lots of gay sex,’ as well as phrases containing vulgar references to genitalia.
Police can be seen in some videos but it is unclear if any arrests were made.
One attendee filmed from inside the hotel, making sarcastic comments about the protestors’ appearance
The event was advertised as ‘women-only’ and featured panels hosted by de-transitioners, or people who were formerly transgender themselves
Two protestors were seen engaging in a provocative display to antagonize the radical feminists
The convention was scheduled from September 15 to 17 with an additional day of ‘Nonviolent Direct Action’ on September 18
An art exhibition called ‘A Nasty Piece of Work: The Art of Dissident Feminists’ opened Saturday, coinciding with the conference.
It was advertised as featuring ‘the art of women who oppose the quest to construct or remake what it means to be a woman.’ While it was not part of the WDI convention, attendees were given the option to attend the gallery opening.
The windows of the space were later defaced with red spray paint messages proclaiming: ‘NO TERFS ON OUR TURF!’
The WDI website features a promotional page for the convention with a schedule of events. Panels on topics like ‘Radical Feminist Tactics,’ ‘Women’s Academic Studies,’ and ‘Lesbians and the Women’s Liberation Movement.’
Most panels do not make explicit reference to transgenderism, with the exception of Yang’s and a session titled ‘Discussion: De-Transition Q&A; Reclaiming Womanhood’ that features Laura Becker as a speaker. Becker is an outspoken de-trans activist who began transitioning into a man herself.
‘Please note: this is a women-only event,’ the registration page reads.
The schedule for Monday, September 18 contains a reference to ‘Nonviolent Direct Action’ following training on Sunday.
It is unclear what this entails but the ‘Pledge of Nonviolent Action’ on the WDI site says participants cannot engage in taunts or destroy property. Instead, they are instructed to resort to nonviolent measures like, singing, chanting and linking arms.
The opening of an art exhibition called ‘A Nasty Piece of Work: The Art of Dissident Feminists’ coincided with the conference. The gallery was vandalized with graffiti reading ‘No TERFs on our turf’
