{"id":431783,"date":"2026-08-13T14:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/431783\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T14:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:08:15","slug":"marni-von-wilpert-holds-fundraiser-at-a-san-diego-lgbtq-nightclub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/431783\/","title":{"rendered":"Marni von Wilpert holds fundraiser at a San Diego LGBTQ nightclub"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas Democrat’s controversial speech sparks backlash<\/a> <\/p>\n

U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and Democratic local councilman Ben Flores ignite controversy at a Corpus Christi rally, criticizing Texas’s ‘narrow-minded’ political landscape. Flores’s provocative speech declares ‘we’re all trans’ and ‘we’re all gay tofu-eating vegans.’ This far-left rhetoric draws strong reactions, questioning political strategy in the state.<\/p>\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

Marni von Wilpert, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California\u2019s 48th Congressional District, is holding a fundraiser at a venue<\/a> known for sexually suggestive branding and LGBTQ nightlife on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

The San Diego restaurant and nightclub, called the Gossip Grill, offers a series of adult-themed specials and events<\/a> such as “Fi—r me Fridays,” “Girls, Gays and Theys Sundays” and “Cabaret Drag Brunch Pride Extravaganza.”<\/p>\n

It also offers menu items like the “Foreplay” and the “happy ending.”<\/p>\n

DEMOCRATS TURN ON CONGRESSIONAL HOPEFUL AFTER ‘HIDING’ LGBTQ+ VIEWS FROM MUSLIM VOTERS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Marni <\/p>\n

Marni von Wilpert poses for a photo. Wilpert is a Democratic candidate for Congress in California\u2019s 48th district. (Wilpert for Congress)<\/p>\n

The upcoming event<\/a> underscores Wilpert\u2019s connection to the LGBTQ community and the attention she\u2019s given the issue during her congressional campaign since she came out as bisexual a few years ago.<\/p>\n

To one Republican observer, it\u2019s a set of priorities that places an undue emphasis on sexuality.<\/p>\n

“Out of touch Marni von Wilpert found the perfect headquarters for her radical campaign,” Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

“Her perverted agenda pushes hormone treatments on kids, shuts parents out and puts sexual content in front of young children. That dangerous agenda belongs in a nightclub, not Congress<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Wilpert lists “LGBTQ+ Rights<\/a>” among her top priorities on her campaign website \u2014 alongside other priorities like restructuring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and penalties for companies with low wages.<\/p>\n

On her website, she commits to making the topic a legislative focus at the federal level.<\/p>\n

“In Congress, she will work to pass the Equality Act so the protections that Californians enjoy are guaranteed nationwide. She will face the attacks head-on, from bans on gender-affirming care to efforts to silence LGBTQ+ students in our schools,” the website reads.<\/a><\/p>\n

In the past, Wilpert has helped spearhead efforts to keep Pride-related materials in San Diego<\/a> public libraries.<\/p>\n

CHICAGO COLLEGE REMOVES LGBTQ PRIDE FLAG OVER INSTITUTIONAL NEUTRALITY CONCERNS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Aerial <\/p>\n

Aerial view of San Diego Skyline harbor in California. (Joe Sohm\/Visions of America\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After an activist removed almost every gender-orientation-related book from a library in Rancho Pe\u00f1asquitos in 2023, threatening to keep them until the county took down a Pride display<\/a>, Wilpert led the charge to replace the books. Wilpert, then a city council member, also pressed to expand Pride displays in 36 San Diego public libraries.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m frankly shocked by this because eliminating LGBTQ content from libraries is what you might expect in Mississippi, but never here in San Diego,” she told The San Diego Tribune.<\/a><\/p>\n

“Denying others the right to read LGBTQ-affirming books is just another way of telling LGBTQ people they don\u2019t belong \u2014 and that\u2019s dead wrong. Everyone has the right to read what they want, but absolutely no one has the right to keep others from reading books that reflect their experiences and backgrounds.”<\/p>\n

Her work with the library has attracted support in her congressional bid from groups like Equality California, which cited it as a basis of their endorsement.<\/p>\n

“Throughout her career, Marni has been a champion for the LGBTQ+ community and the diverse communities that make up CA-48. As an out LGBTQ+ elected leader, her record on the San Diego City Council includes defending access to inclusive library resources and standing up to censorship and bigotry,” the group said.<\/p>\n

VULNERABLE DEM’S CAMPAIGN PITCH CLASHES WITH ‘RADICAL’ VOTING RECORD ON TOP CULTURE WAR ISSUE<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Marni <\/p>\n

Marni von Wilpert poses for a photo with a pair of supporters. (Wilpert for Congress)<\/p>\n

She has also attracted endorsements from Equality PAC, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and the Human Rights Campaign<\/a> \u2014 all LGBTQ-aligned networks.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

Wilpert did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on her choice of venue or whether she thought the themes at the establishment were appropriate for a congressional campaign.<\/p>\n

Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas Democrat’s controversial speech sparks backlash U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and Democratic local councilman Ben Flores ignite…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431784,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,5191,1751,13,74],"class_list":["post-431783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-campaigning","tag-democrats","tag-politics","tag-san-diego"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}