California State Senator Scott Wiener did not pose with a book titled ‘How to Legally Kidnap Children’

Context 

An image of California State Senator Scott Wiener has been widely shared on Twitter. The photograph shows Wiener posing with a book titled "How to Legally Kidnap Children," which includes an illustration of a man attacking a child wearing a t-shirt designed to resemble a flag representing the transgender community. 

This image began recirculating recently after being posted on Twitter by Stew Peters, a far-right media personality who gained notoriety in 2022 for his work on Died Suddenly, a widely debunked documentary concerning COVID-19 vaccines. Peters captioned the image, "This guy is a California State senator. His last name is also Wiener."

Since it was published on March 30, Peters' post has been retweeted over 3,000 times and liked by more than 4,500 users. The replies to this tweet make it clear that a significant number of people believe the authenticity of this tweet, with one Twitter user claiming that Wiener "belongs in prison."  

In Fact 

There is no evidence Scott Wiener has ever posed with a book that advises on the Kidnapping of Children. A reverse image search reveals this photograph has been digitally altered from a post shared by Wiener on March 5. The unaltered version shows the State Senator holding the book "Gender Pioneers: A Celebration of Transgender, Non-Binary and Intersex Icons" by Philippa Punchard. Wiener captioned this post, "as more & more states ban books & drag queens, we're celebrating both at San Francisco Public Libraries."

Stew Peters was not the first person to share this altered image. On March 17, the organization Gays Against Groomers initially posted it. Unlike Peters, they made it clear in the caption that it is not a true reflection of the original photograph, writing, "Scott Wiener is really upset about this meme we made. Don't share it!!"

This is not the first time Gays Against Groomers has targeted individuals for their perceived alignment with the transgender community. In January 2023, the Anti-Defamation League described the organization as "an anti-LGBTQ+ extremist coalition" that "peddles dangerous and misleading narratives about the LGBTQ+ community, focusing on false allegations of "grooming" by drag performers, "indoctrination" by LGBTQ+ educators and "child mutilation" by gender-affirming care providers."

The Verdict

California State Senator Scott Wiener did not pose with a book titled "How to Legally Kidnap Children." This is an altered image of a photograph showing the Senator holding the book "Gender Pioneers: A Celebration of Transgender, Non-Binary and Intersex Icons" by Philippa Punchard. This claim has therefore been marked as false.