August 1966
“It was the first known instance of collective, militant queer resistance to police harassment in United States history.” Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman, the producers of the ‘Screaming Queens’ documentary.
In the documentary, Suzan Cooke - a trans woman and activist, describes the Tenderloin at the time as ”...a kind of a gay ghetto....” Many trans women and queens were refused employment, housing and were at the brunt of police violence and humiliation. Compton’s Cafeteria, a centrally located all-night cafe, became a place of refuge from the persistent threat of violence.
The upswing of the Civil Rights movement created new forms of activism in San Francisco, such as homophile movements which were early gay rights advocates and the Glide Church began to introduce progressive community projects. Stryker highlights in the Screaming Queens documentary that “the civil rights movement fuelled the queens newfound militancy.” Changing political attitudes created deeper divisions between the queens and Compton’s management, who began to more regularly call on police to kick out and arrest the queens. It was time to fight back.
On a hot summer night, a queen threw a hot cup of coffee into a policeman's face and mayhem ensued. Windows were smashed as the Tenderloin’s queer community fought hard against the police, rioting against all the oppression and hatred they’d been subjected to. Stryker summarises; “....Before it was over, a police car was destroyed, the corner newsstand set on fire and years of pent-up resentment boiled out into the night.”
The riot resulted in positive change for the rights of transgender people. Trans women were given more autonomy and freedom to self-express. Felicia Elizondo recounts; “There was a big change. We can dress like women all the time. We don’t have to be little effeminate hair fairies anymore. We can be who we are inside.” Moreover, networks and new support programs for trans people were formed, such as official identification cards that reflected their new gender, allowing the trans community to pursue state careers and education. The first surgical sex reassignment clinic was also introduced in 1968, by the Stanford University Medical Center.
Predating the more famous Stonewall Riots, Compton’s should be respected and remembered within LGBT history. Trans historian Susan Stryker’s work in Screaming Queens truly honours the hustlers of the Tenderloin - as pioneers who fought with courage and passion for their human rights.
