A grey, stone plaque with a paragraph of text commemorating Gene Compton's Cafeteria Riot of 1966, dedicated in 2006.

Gene Compton's Cafeteria Riot 40th anniversary historical marker at corner of Taylor and Turk in San Francisco

In 1966, three years before the world-famous Stonewall riot in New York, a group of trans women in San Francisco stood up to police inside Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, an all-night restaurant in the Tenderloin neighbourhood and popular queer gathering spot. A trans woman fed up with the harassment and abuse is said to have thrown a cup of coffee in an officer’s face, sparking a chaotic riot and unprecedented moment of trans resistance to police violence. Via The Guardian. Recommended film: Susan Stryker's Screaming Queens (2006)

When the Stonewall Riots / Rebellion came later, it is believed trans sex workers such as Marsha B Johnson were present and may have contributed to the global gay rights movement. For more on Marsha and Sylvia Rivera, listen to the Star House Star People episode of OneFromTheVaults, a trans history podcast by Morgan M Page, bringing you all the dirt, gossip, and glamour from trans history!