Over time, the Stonewall Riots of 1969 have been heralded as the start of the modern LGBTQ+ movement; however three years earlier, in August 1966, the Compton鈥檚 Cafeteria Riots in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco helped to set the stage for the resistance. Though the exact date is unknown, the uprising of a group of trans women, drag queens and gay community members 鈥渨as one of the first known acts of resistance by queer people to police brutality鈥which] remain[s] a .鈥 (鈥溾, Advocate.com)
Though Compton鈥檚 Cafeteria was known as a popular queer gathering spot, workers would often call the police to clear the restaurant of 鈥済ender-nonconforming youths鈥 (鈥,鈥 , inviting police harassment, violence and improper arrests in the 1960s. The lore around the incident suggests that 鈥渁 trans woman fed up with the harassment and abuse is said to have thrown a cup of coffee in an officer鈥檚 face, sparking a chaotic riot and unprecedented moment of trans resistance to police violence.鈥 ()
Opposition to the trans community was so pervasive that the media largely ignored - and police buried - any records of the activism. The first record of the riot is an article written by gay activist Rev. Raymond Broshears for the program of the first San Francisco gay pride parade in 1972, which is the year Compton鈥檚 Cafeteria closed its doors. In 2005, after years of research and investigation, which stemmed from finding Broshears鈥 article, Dr. Susan Stryker and 麻豆影视 History Professor Victor Silverman produced the Emmy-winning film . The documentary, made with financial support from 麻豆影视, uncovers forgotten details of the riot through archival footage and first-hand accounts and can be .
The area around Compton鈥檚 Cafeteria is now the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. Founded by three black trans women in 2017, the Compton鈥檚 Transgender Cultural District (now The Transgender District) aims 鈥渢o create an urban environment that fosters the rich history, culture, legacy, and empowerment of transgender people and its deep roots in the southeastern Tenderloin neighborhood.鈥 (鈥溾, The Transgender District) Just outside of the district鈥檚 boundaries, the 鈥檚 permanent exhibition collection includes work related to activism, including the Compton鈥檚 Cafeteria Riots. On Friday, August 28, 2020, The Transgender District will host a 54th Anniversary Party via Zoom and to commemorate the Compton鈥檚 Cafeteria Riots.
Additional details were gathered from the following sources:
- , May 5, 2015
- , July 1, 2018