In 2005, the documentary "Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria" directed by Victor Silverman and Susan Stryker, brought attention to a pivotal yet often overlooked moment in LGBTQ history. The film delves into the events surrounding the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot of 1966, a violent confrontation between transgender people and the police in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.
Preceding the more famous 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot is now recognized as one of the first recorded transgender uprisings in the United States. The documentary, featuring interviews with key figures like Amanda St. Jaymes, Felicia Flames, and Aleshia Brevard, serves as a critical retelling of an event that marked a turning point for the transgender community, giving birth to a political consciousness that would shape LGBTQ activism for years to come. The 1960s were a period of intense social transformation. Amidst the civil rights movement and the sexual liberation era, marginalized groups - including people of color, women, and sexual minorities - began to demand recognition and equality. The same decade that witnessed the birth of the modern gay liberation movement with the 1969 Stonewall Riots, also saw the emergence of transgender activism.
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However, before Stonewall, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot was a radical moment in which transgender people, primarily trans women and drag queens, began fighting back against systemic police harassment, social exclusion, and violent oppression. The riot occurred in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, an area historically home to working-class individuals, immigrants, people of color, and, by the 1960s, a growing LGBTQ community. For transgender people, the Tenderloin was a rare safe space, providing refuge and community, though it was not without its own set of challenges. Many of the trans women living in this area were forced into sex work to survive, as they faced widespread job discrimination and societal rejection. Sex workers, often the most vulnerable members of the community, faced not only the dangers of street violence but also systemic abuse from law enforcement. Police routinely harassed and arrested transgender people for minor offenses, such as "female impersonation," a charge that criminalized cross-dressing. Compton's Cafeteria, which opened in 1954, became one of the few places where transgender individuals could gather openly. Despite being a safe haven, it was also a site of frequent police raids, instigated by staff who felt uncomfortable with the presence of drag queens and transgender women. Management would often call the police to remove them, which led to repeated arrests for minor offenses. Trans women could even be arrested for "wearing women's clothing," an absurd standard based on outdated gender norms.
On a night in August 1966, a series of escalating tensions finally erupted into violence. The trigger for the riot was an incident involving the police attempting to arrest a transgender woman who had resisted. In response, she threw a cup of coffee in an officer's face. This act of defiance ignited a larger rebellion, as drag queens, trans women, and their allies poured into the streets, fighting back against the police and their systemic oppression. The scene was chaotic, with protesters hurling sugar shakers, tables, and dinnerware at the police. Some threw high heels and heavy bags, a symbolic act of resistance against the dehumanizing treatment they had endured for so long. According to participants and witnesses, the riot was not just a spontaneous outburst but the culmination of years of pent-up anger and frustration. The transgender community in San Francisco had been subjected to constant harassment and violence. When the police tried to arrest those involved in the riot, the confrontation continued in the streets, culminating in the destruction of a police car and the burning of a nearby newsstand. The next day, the community returned to protest and picket Compton’s Cafeteria, but the protests quickly turned violent again, and the windows of the cafeteria were smashed. The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot was a significant turning point for the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people, who had long been marginalized even within the broader gay rights movement. It was not just a riot; it was an assertion of transgender people’s rights to exist freely in public spaces, without fear of harassment or violence.
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The immediate aftermath of the riot saw the creation of the Vanguard organization, the first known gay youth group in the United States, which was instrumental in organizing further protests. Vanguard was a collection of transgender youth, many of whom were involved in survival sex work, and who had experienced firsthand the harsh realities of police violence. In the wake of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, Vanguard took to the streets to protest the police’s treatment of transgender people. In one notable action, Vanguard members performed a "street sweep," mimicking the police practice of "sweeping" known queer neighborhoods. However, Vanguard’s sweep was a symbolic protest, reclaiming the streets and asserting their right to public space. They held signs that read, “Fall Clean Up: This Is a Vanguard Community Project,” and “All trash is before the broom,” directly challenging the dehumanizing view that transgender people and sex workers were mere “trash” to be discarded. Vanguard’s efforts helped establish a sense of political agency among transgender individuals in San Francisco, and over the next few years, they successfully founded organizations like the National Transsexual Counseling Unit (NTCU) in 1968, one of the first peer-run counseling and support services for transgender people in the world. This initiative would go on to provide crucial support for transgender individuals, offering advice, social services, and community-building resources at a time when many people faced isolation and discrimination.
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The Compton's Cafeteria Riot remained largely forgotten for many years, overshadowed by the Stonewall Riots. However, through the work of historians like Susan Stryker, the importance of the riot has been rediscovered and celebrated. Stryker’s documentary "Screaming Queens" was crucial in bringing this story to a wider audience, as it highlighted not only the significance of the riot but also the voices of those who were directly involved in the events. The documentary brought visibility to the individuals who had been involved in the riot, many of whom had been ignored or forgotten by mainstream LGBTQ history. Figures like Felicia Flames Elizondo and Aleshia Brevard, who had lived through the harsh realities of trans life in the 1960s, were able to share their experiences and recount their role in the riot. Through "Screaming Queens", their stories were preserved for future generations. In 2016, on the 50th anniversary of the riot, San Francisco honored the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot by renaming the 100 block of Taylor Street to "Gene Compton's Cafeteria Way", cementing its place in history. Additionally, the city recognized the ""Transgender Cultural District"", the first such district in the world, in the Tenderloin, further ensuring that the riot’s legacy would live on in the form of institutional support and recognition for the transgender community.
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The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot was a moment of profound importance in the history of transgender activism. It marked a bold assertion of transgender people's right to live freely and openly, and it catalyzed the creation of activist groups that would go on to create lasting change. While the riot itself did not immediately solve the problems transgender people faced, it set in motion a larger movement that would continue to push for civil rights and recognition. Through the work of Susan Stryker and others who documented the events, the riot is no longer a forgotten chapter in LGBTQ history but a foundational moment that continues to shape the fight for transgender rights today. "Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria" is a critical documentary that honors the courage and resilience of those who fought back against oppression in 1966 and serves as a reminder of the importance of telling the stories of those who have been marginalized and silenced. Through this work, Susan Stryker and her collaborators have helped ensure that the legacy of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot lives on, inspiring new generations of activists in the ongoing struggle for transgender rights and equality.
Image credits: YouTube
Interview with the cast:
Interview with Felicia Elizondo
Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Felicia Elizondo, also known as Felicia Flames, a transgender pioneer, diva, icon, and a Screaming Queen, 27 years survivor of...
Interview with Aleshia Brevard: Part 5
Monika: Apart from acting, you directed over 20 theatre plays. How did you find theatre directing?
Aleshia: Directing seemed a natural extension of my years spent...
Interview with Aleshia Brevard: Part 4
Monika: Before you started your movie and theatre career you were a female impersonator. How would you define this kind of vocation? Could it be regarded as a piece of art or...
Interview with Aleshia Brevard: Part 3
Monika: Aleshia, in our previous conversation you stated that your true acting career took place in the theater. How would you compare these two artistic worlds?
Aleshia: Ah, Monika,...
Interview with Aleshia Brevard: Part 2
Monika: Today I would like to focus our interview on your movie acting. Your first movie role was Sherry in „The Love God?” (1969). Did you have to go through any auditions...
Interview with Aleshia Brevard: Part 1
Monika: Today, I have the immense honor of speaking with Aleshia Brevard, a true trailblazer in the transgender community. Aleshia is a woman of many talents: an...
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