Queers Against Hate in SF Pinball
November 15, 2025
We are writing as members of the San Francisco pinball community. We’ve played in the same leagues and tournaments as you. We’ve organized some of them. Like you, we absolutely love this game and just want to keep playing, competing, and bonding with others who share this beautiful and addictive hobby.
In an ideal world, that would be the end of it. There would be no need for statements or demands. But we’re not just any pinball players: we’re queer and trans people (joined by allies) in a world that increasingly seems to want us gone. The government is in the hands of a hateful, racist and anti-queer demagogue. Rights like passports, marriage, and access to health care are under attack for queer people. We have looked to hobby spaces like pinball as a refuge. But pinball is not safe from hate.
We are closely following events in North Carolina. Last weekend at OBX Fall Flippers, an IFPA-sanctioned tournament, a trans woman was forcibly removed from the women’s restroom. The TD allowed the event to continue. As of this writing, the IFPA has not rescinded points earned at a tournament that discriminated against trans women, despite the IFPA Gender Inclusion Policy. This is an evolving situation, but we are outraged by what happened and very concerned by the IFPA’s response thus far, which includes banning discussion of the OBX event on the IFPA Discord server. We send our love and solidarity to the people affected. We endorse the petition to remove WPPR points from this event.
Returning to the Bay Area and what prompted the writing of this letter:
On October 8, an SF Pinball Department member wore a pro Charlie Kirk t-shirt to a league event. Charlie Kirk was a far-right extremist who was well known for white supremacism, transphobia, and inciting bigotry and violence against marginalized groups.[1]
After two weeks filled with community uproar, league leadership decided to ban this player. We strongly support this decision and welcome the commissioners’ denunciation of white supremacy and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and ideologies.[2] This ban is in the spirit of the IFPA guidelines, which call for TDs to “prioritize a safe and welcoming play environment over the ability of ejected players to return to future events.”
After being banned, the former member could have acknowledged the harm he caused. Instead, on November 9, he posted a letter downplaying his actions. He lashed out against the people he hurt, tarring marginalized people as “outsiders.” He even insinuated that some league members were “potentially violent,” a lie straight out of the far-right extremist playbook. A lie that feels especially familiar to trans women, who are often painted as aggressors.
The most tragic part of these events is the way they have sown division in our scene. Allies wavered, and queer voices were silenced. But our goal with this letter is not to dwell on mistakes or to inflame further conflict among friends who could be reconciled. Instead, we want to offer a way forward.
We especially call for allies of the queer community to take action and push for positive change. Sadly, it is often safer and more impactful for an ally to speak out than it is for a queer person.
Looking forward: Thursday, November 20th, is Trans Day of Remembrance, an annual memorial for trans people lost to violence, whether from family members, intimate partners, strangers, or suicide. Overwhelmingly, the victims are BIPOC. In San Francisco, there will be an observance and march starting at 5pm at City Hall, and we urge everyone to remember the dead and attend if you are able.
With love,
SF queer & trans pinball players and allies
If you would like to sign or if you have any questions, please reach out to izzy2000 on Discord.
If you would like to sign or if you have any questions, please reach out to izzy2000 on Discord.
Charlie Kirk called a trans woman “an abomination to God”; called being transgender a “delusion” and a “lie”; called trans health care “child mutilation”; blamed trans medicine for mass shootings; and advocated a nationwide ban on trans health care. He urged a “Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor”, comparing transness to the Nazi regime’s crimes against humanity. He called for violence: he said someone should have “just took care of” a trans person “the way we used to take care of things in the 1950s and 60s.”
Of prominent Black women including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Charlie Kirk said “You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.” On Black pilots: "If I see a Black pilot, I'm gonna be like 'boy, I hope he is qualified.'"
We assure you there’s more.
📣 A message from the Commissioners about recent events and moving forward together
The SFPD Commissioners unequivocally denounce white supremacy and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and ideologies. As tournament directors, our foremost responsibility is to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for everyone in our community. While we initially addressed an incident involving the display of imagery associated with hateful or discriminatory views within the existing SFPD guidelines, we recognize that those actions did not go far enough to ensure the safety and well-being of our members.
In situations like this, giving even an inch to hate allows it to take hold and divide a community that has always thrived on inclusion, empathy, and respect. We began to see how this situation was escalating to corrupt the league we love.
As a result, we have made the decision to issue a ban to the player whose actions prompted these events. We are also reviewing and updating our community guidelines to provide clearer expectations and stronger protections for our members moving forward.
Our hope now is to move forward together as a community—to learn from this experience, rebuild trust, and refocus on what brings us here in the first place: fair, fun, and respectful pinball.