Compton’s Cafeteria (by Nicole Kazmierczak)

 Compton’s Cafeteria, San Francisco, California

Compton’s Cafeteria was located in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, California. This establishment was home to the first transgender riot in the history of the United States.  Compton’s was one of the only establishments that welcomed transgender people in the area, as they were not welcome at any of the local gay bars. This location is of significance for several reasons, and was a place of acceptance as well as one that fueled the fire of the LGBTQ Rights Movement, before the Stonewall Inn riots of 1969.

The turbulent 1960s provided a background of change and a desire for freedom and peace in the United States. Yet, minorities faced much oppression and violence across the country. In this climate, conditions were ripe for acts of resistance like the riot at Compton’s Cafeteria in 1966. As one of the first LGBTQ-related events of its kind, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot predated the Stonewall Inn riots by only 3 years. Born of tension between the transgender community and those who opposed them fiercly, the riot began as such: “On an August evening in 1966, police officers entered Compton’s and grabbed a patron. In response, the unnamed individual threw her coffee at the officer. The patrons began throwing chairs and turning over tables at the police in protest of unwarranted discrimination and harassment.” (1) Thus began the riot that would inspire future LGBTQ+ individuals to stand up for themselves and their community. While this event seems to have been overshadowed by others such as Stonewall, it is crucial to take stock of what events predate and follow one another. By acknowledging the power the riot at Compton’s Cafeteria had, we are better able to understand the connections between each event and how they often act as a domino effect, one after the other. 

Ultimately, at the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, we saw the emergence of the power and strength of a community. While the unnamed and unknown individual who threw her cup of hot coffee in an officer’s face was the true beginning, what followed was the demonstration of strength that is found in the LGBTQ community, particularly the trans community. The driving force behind the patrons of the establishment rioting on that August night was made from years upon years of oppression and an unwelcome attitude towards those in the trans community, even by others of the LGBTQ+ community. The exclusion of trans people from gay bars and “safe spaces” created an energy that erupted into the riot. Essentially, the power of the collective trans community created the space and motivation for members of the community to participate in a riot such as this. This was a truly revolutionary show of the amount of hatred that the trans community received, and sadly still receives today. Through this riot, we are able to understand how much the trans community went through to reach the outcome of a riot. This is of immense importance, as we consider how the strength of one of the most marginalized communities of the larger LGBTQ+ community paved the path for more riots, greater strength, and more rights. 

As a result of these events, and although the Compton’s Cafeteria riot is often overshadowed, the importance can still be seen today and should be remembered. In recent years, the documentary film “Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria” was released in 2005. This film, which prioritized interviews with survivors of the time, shows that there is a continued interest in the events that took place in 1966. (2) Many have heard of the events of Stonewall, but many may not have heard of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot. One of the most interesting aspects of the riot includes the fact that it is not commemorated, nor was there any major press reporting in the year following the event, unlike similar riots. “Unlike the New Year's Ball raid, Compton's was not resuscitated in early histories of gay San Francisco. It was nearly lost to history because homophile activists did not cover it in their newspapers.” (3) The New Year’s Ball raid occurred in San Francisco on New Year’s Day, 1965. This raid was sparked by the SFPD trying to break up a party in which LGBTQ individuals and some local church minister allies came together for a fundraiser. (4) It was extremely influential in its news publications as it was one of the first instances where a raid was publicized due to the brutality against the LGBTQ community; it displayed for the local community what was happening right under their noses. This represents the impact media coverage can have on maintaining historical evidence and education on these types of events.

Despite the lack of coverage, perhaps due to lack of overall interest, we know that there were important and long-lasting impacts of the events that took place that evening in San Francisco. “In the aftermath of the riot at Compton's, a network of transgender social, psychological, and medical support services was established, which culminated in 1968 with the creation of the National Transsexual Counseling Unit, the first such peer-run support and advocacy organization in the world.” (5)  Despite some not wanting to initially report on the event, we know today that the riot was of immense importance despite nearly being erased from the early history of LGBTQ+ activism in the 1960s. As we consider many events to be more significant due to any number of reasons, we must continually take a step back and realize that someone else had to walk before we could run. There would not be a Stonewall without the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, and the world we live in today would likely be a much different place had these events not occurred. To that end, keeping in mind the impact of the past, we must also make choices moving forward that will create a positive future for LGBTQ+ individuals around the world.

Notes

(1) Pierceson, Jason, Edith Ritt-Coulter, and Lindsey Churchill. “Compton's Cafeteria Riot (San Francisco).” Essay. In LGBTQ Americans in the U.S. Political System: an Encyclopedia of Activists, Voters, Candidates, and Officeholders, 118–18. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2019.

(2) Kane, Matthew. “Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria.” Cineaste 31, no. 4 (Fall 2006): 104. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=22500639&site=ehost-live. 

(3) Armstrong, Elizabeth A., and Suzanna M. Crage. “Movements and Memory: The Making of the Stonewall Myth.” American Sociological Review 71, no. 5 (October 2006): 724–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100502.

(4) McEwen, Alvin. Know Your LGBT History - The 1965 San Francisco New Year's Ball Raid, January 1, 1970. https://holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com/2014/01/know-your-lgbt-history-1965-san.html. 

(5) Stryker, Susan. “San Francisco.” glbtq inc., 2004, 4–4. https://doi.org/http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/san_francisco_S.pdf. 

Bibliography

Pierceson, Jason, Edith Ritt-Coulter, and Lindsey Churchill. “Compton's Cafeteria Riot (San Francisco).” Essay. In LGBTQ Americans in the U.S. Political System: an Encyclopedia of Activists, Voters, Candidates, and Officeholders, 118–18. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2019.

Polly, John. “Top 10 Historic Gay Places in the U.S.” Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 16, no. 4 (July 2009): 14–16. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=42099712&site=ehost-live.

Kane, Matthew. “Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria.” Cineaste 31, no. 4 (Fall 2006): 104. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=22500639&site=ehost-live. 

Armstrong, Elizabeth A., and Suzanna M. Crage. “Movements and Memory: The Making of the Stonewall Myth.” American Sociological Review 71, no. 5 (October 2006): 724–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100502. 

Stryker, Susan. “San Francisco.” glbtq inc., 2004, 4–4. https://doi.org/http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/san_francisco_S.pdf.

McEwen, Alvin. Know Your LGBT History - The 1965 San Francisco New Year's Ball Raid, January 1, 1970. https://holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com/2014/01/know-your-lgbt-history-1965-san.html.