Protest outside of Compton Cafeteria, 1966, University of California, Berkeley Library
|
In the 1950s and 60s, transgender people were afforded little to no safety or rights. Compton’s Cafeteria in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco was one of the few places transgender people could congregate safely. Because cross-dressing was illegal in California, Compton’s staff used this as the pretext to call police to crack down on transgender people in the cafe. In response, the trans community organized a picket of Compton’s Cafeteria. When police were called to break up the protest, violence erupted. As one of the first publicized instances of violence against trans people, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots sparked awareness of mistreatment and the creation of a wide network of support services for transgender people.
|
Sources to Get Started |
|