Before Stonewall: The Compton's Cafeteria Riot
http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2006/06/22/4
A memorial plaque commemorating the 40th anniversary of the first known instance of transgender resistance to police harassment in the United States was installed at a ceremony Thursday in San Francisco.
The Compton's Cafeteria riot predated the famous uprising at New York's Stonewall Inn by three years.
Although Gene Compton's eatery in the seedy Tenderloin district of San Francisco was a haven for gay men, lesbians and transgender people, police harassment was nonetheless a common occurrence. On an evening in August, 1966, an officer entered and grabbed one of the "queens," who threw a cup of coffee in his face. Mayhem erupted as drag queens kicked the cops with their high-heeled shoes. Rioters smashed windows, broke furniture and set fire to a car. The event lasted a day, and picketing lasted several more days.
In the aftermath of the riot, the San Francisco Police Department's community relations department began focusing on sensitivity training and brought gays, lesbians and transgender people into the dialogue, said Cecilia Chung, San Francisco human rights commissioner and deputy director of the Transgender Law Center.
"Forty years ago, female impersonation was illegal, and you could even be arrested for wearing buttons on the wrong side of your shirt," Chung said. "In many ways, we can attribute our success in the transgender civil rights movement and the larger LGBT movement to our courageous predecessors at Compton's Cafeteria."
A plaque was placed Thursday at the site of the cafeteria at Turk and Taylor streets. Among those honored at the ceremony were several transgender individuals active in the community 40 years ago, and retired police Sgt. Elliott Blackstone, the San Francisco force's first liaison to the LGBT community.
Blackstone, who is straight, has been a longtime ally for gay men, lesbians and transgender people, and even took up a collection at his church to help transgender women buy hormones. He will be honored as the lifetime grand marshal at San Francisco Pride on Sunday.
"Unexpected allies, like Sgt. Blackstone, fought by our side against prejudice and stigma at a time when our cries seemed to be ignored, and helped to create a ripple of positive change," Chung said.
Other speakers at the ceremony included the Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church; author/activists Leslie Feinberg and Jamison Green; Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, and representatives of the San Francisco mayor's office, Human Rights Commission and Police Commission.
Chung admitted that although there are many strong allies for the transgender community in San Francisco, most of the country lags far behind in the fight for equality.
"We're a historically marginalized group, and although we're seeing the inclusion of gender identity in the dialogue, fighting for equality is still very challenging," Chung said. "Just like gays and lesbians, we're one constitutional amendment away from having our rights removed."
Historic 1966 transgender riot remembered
by Larry BuhlA memorial plaque commemorating the 40th anniversary of the first known instance of transgender resistance to police harassment in the United States was installed at a ceremony Thursday in San Francisco.
The Compton's Cafeteria riot predated the famous uprising at New York's Stonewall Inn by three years.
Although Gene Compton's eatery in the seedy Tenderloin district of San Francisco was a haven for gay men, lesbians and transgender people, police harassment was nonetheless a common occurrence. On an evening in August, 1966, an officer entered and grabbed one of the "queens," who threw a cup of coffee in his face. Mayhem erupted as drag queens kicked the cops with their high-heeled shoes. Rioters smashed windows, broke furniture and set fire to a car. The event lasted a day, and picketing lasted several more days.
In the aftermath of the riot, the San Francisco Police Department's community relations department began focusing on sensitivity training and brought gays, lesbians and transgender people into the dialogue, said Cecilia Chung, San Francisco human rights commissioner and deputy director of the Transgender Law Center.
"Forty years ago, female impersonation was illegal, and you could even be arrested for wearing buttons on the wrong side of your shirt," Chung said. "In many ways, we can attribute our success in the transgender civil rights movement and the larger LGBT movement to our courageous predecessors at Compton's Cafeteria."
A plaque was placed Thursday at the site of the cafeteria at Turk and Taylor streets. Among those honored at the ceremony were several transgender individuals active in the community 40 years ago, and retired police Sgt. Elliott Blackstone, the San Francisco force's first liaison to the LGBT community.
Blackstone, who is straight, has been a longtime ally for gay men, lesbians and transgender people, and even took up a collection at his church to help transgender women buy hormones. He will be honored as the lifetime grand marshal at San Francisco Pride on Sunday.
"Unexpected allies, like Sgt. Blackstone, fought by our side against prejudice and stigma at a time when our cries seemed to be ignored, and helped to create a ripple of positive change," Chung said.
Other speakers at the ceremony included the Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church; author/activists Leslie Feinberg and Jamison Green; Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, and representatives of the San Francisco mayor's office, Human Rights Commission and Police Commission.
Chung admitted that although there are many strong allies for the transgender community in San Francisco, most of the country lags far behind in the fight for equality.
"We're a historically marginalized group, and although we're seeing the inclusion of gender identity in the dialogue, fighting for equality is still very challenging," Chung said. "Just like gays and lesbians, we're one constitutional amendment away from having our rights removed."
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another intro.
Another intro. Another student.
Bil already mentioned that I'm INTRAA's membership coordinator. (Aside from starting a Gay-Straight Alliance in high school,) Working with INTRAA is the st
