The 1966 Compton's Cafeteria Riot

On a hot weekend night in August 1966 trans women fought back against police harassment at Compton’s Cafeteria in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. Although the Compton’s riot didn’t spark a national movement the way Stonewall would three years later, it did have an effect, leading to the creation of support services for transgender people in San Francisco, and a reduction in police brutality against the trans community. Joining me to discuss the riot, its causes, and its aftermath, is historian Dr. Susan Stryker , co-writer and co-director of the Emmy-winning 2005 documentary, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria , and author of several books, including Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution . Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag , composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. Image origin is unknown; it is used as the cover image of the documentary, and appears in many related news stories without attribution. Additional sources: “ At the Crossroads of Turk and Taylor: Resisting carceral power in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District ,” by Susan Stryker, Places Journal, October 2021. “ Compton's Cafeteria rio…