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Trans Bay

How the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot Supercharged San Francisco’s Fight for Trans Rights

Justin Hall
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Editor’s note: This story is part of ‘Trans Bay: A History of San Francisco’s Gender-Diverse Community.’ From June 9–19, we’re publishing stories about transgender artists and activists who shaped culture from the 1890s to today.

In this comic, artist Justin Hall tells the story of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot of 1966, when trans women, drag queens and street hustlers fought back against abusive police at a Tenderloin diner. The riot galvanized the movement for trans rights, three years before Stonewall, and forced San Francisco to adopt important reforms.

The entrance of Gene Compton's Cafeteria. The text above it says "Compton's Cafeteria Riot by Justin Hall." Below it says "A group of trans women, drag queens and street hustlers rioted at the Gene Compton's Cateria" in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco one night in August 1966. It is one of the first recorded moments of collective LGBTQ rebellion against police harassment in the U.S., three years before the more famous Stonewall riots.

Trans women in party dresses stand outside a bar. The text reads, "It was incredibly difficult for trnas women and gender-nonconforming people, especially those of color, to find employment, so many took to sex work in the Tenderloin. Though many of the gay bars there wouldn't allow the queens entry, there was still a vibrant community working the streets and offering each other support.

Police officers approach a trans woman. Activist Tamara Ching says, "The police would ask you for ID. You had to have your male ID if you were born male and didn't go through a sex change. They would pat you down, and while they're patting you down of course they're feeling you up."

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Trans women smoke cigarettes and drink coffee at a diner. The text reads, "Compton's Cafeteria was open 24 hours and was a relatively safe space for queens to gather, get a cup of coffee and check in with each other."

A close-up of a cup of coffee spilling. "No one knows the exact date of the riots or precisely who was there, but apparently there was a cup of coffee involved."

"Hey girls," says one woman. "Come over here! We saved you a seat," replies her friend. "Love that new lipstick, sweetie!"The woman takes a seat and gossips with her friends at a table. "Thank you," she says. "I figured I needed a new color for a new attitude. So, did you hear about Dixie Russo's stand-off with the police the other day?" Her friend replies, "Who?"

The friends continue to gossip. "You know her. She's the head of Vanguard's street queens division. That's the gay liberation group that meets at Glide Memorial Church."

The conversation continues. "Well, apparently when they denied her service at the Doggie Diner, she broke a sugar shaker," says one woman. "Uh-oh!" replies her friend. "17 cops in riot gear showed up," the first woman continues. "They surrounded her and her Vanguard buddies for five full hours. But eventually they walked away and didn't arrest anybody!"

An outside view of Compton's while the conversation continues inside. "She got lucky," someone says. "You gonna end up dead thinking like that! I've been around here longer than you, girl. We gotta keep our heads down if we wanna survive," someone replies. "I dunno," says the first woman. "Feels to me like change is in the air."

Inside the cafeteria, two police officers stand over two patrons sitting in a booth. "What have we here? Some men in dresses having a tea party," one officer says. The other officer replies, "Tea party? Nah... These aren't respectable folks, just hookers high on drugs!" Then, one of the patrons addresses the cops: "We're more respectable than you'll ever be!"

A police officer bangs the table with his fist, shouting, "What did you say to me?" The friend of the woman who spoke up earlier intervenes, saying, "Please, officer... don't mind her. We're just having a cup of coffee here. Just minding our own business..."

"I didn't ask you! I was talking to this uppity one, here," the officer replies, grabbing the arm of the woman. "Ow!! Help!" she yells out for help.

"Take your hands off of her!" the friend responds, with her brows furled. "You talking back to me, trash?" replies the officers, outside of the frame.

"We're no one's trash!" shouts one of the women, throwing a cup of coffee in the officer's face.

With that thrown cup of coffee, the cafeteria erupted. Tables were overturned, sugar shakers thrown through windows, plates shattered, and eventually the fighting spilled out into the streets. "We just got tired of being harassed. We wanted our rights," Amanda St. Jaymes reflects in an interview.

The police beat the queens with batons, and they fought back with their heels and heavy purses.

Protesters are pictured shouting "Wear your gown all year round!" and carrying signs that read "Drag it out in the open." Even though many were beaten and arrested, a sense of empowerment and even joy was in the air. Queers had fought back! Though the community still suffers tremendous violence, especially against trans women of color, the Compton's Cafeteria Riots marked the beginning of the modern trans rights movement and a significant step towards justice. A number of transgender resources and self-help groups emerged after the riots, and trans folks in SF had more access to anti-poverty funds, employment, and services.

Six blocks of the Tenderloin, between Mason, Ellis and Jones streets, were designated the world's first Transgender Cultural District in 2017. Now, there's a plaque in front of where Compton's Cafeteria used to be that honors the rioters of 1966. So, let's raise our own cups of coffee to that courageous queen, whoever she was, who threw that cup that changed SF history, and the struggle for LGBTQ rights, forever!

This comic was reformatted from a poster created by cartoonist Justin Hall for 'The Path to Pride,' a poster series commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission to commemorate the 50th anniversary of SF Pride. Special thanks to Susan Stryker, Tamara Ching, and Isaac Fellman. Additional design work was done by Sonia Harris.

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