San Diego designates August as Trans History Month

On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council unanimously voted to designate August as Transgender History Month in the Southern California city.

“With the rise in anti-trans hate and bigotry, I want our trans community to know that I see you, I respect you, and I love you, as does this entire Council,” stated Councilmember Jennifer Campbell. “More importantly, our city honors and celebrates all of the wonderful contributions you have made to San Diego. Happy Transgender History Month.”

According to ‘LGBTQ Nation’,San Diego joins San Francisco and Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara County in declaring August as Transgender History Month. Last year, the state of California made a similar declaration.

August is recognised in honour of the trans women who rioted at Gene Compton’s Cafeteria in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco in August 1966, an LGBTQ+ uprising that occurred three years before the Stonewall riots.

Image Credit: Canva

Compton’s was known for its hostility toward its trans clientele, who were numerous in the red-light district. Trans patrons were subject to an extra service fee, and staff frequently called the police to remove customers. Police were regular visitors to the diner, as trans women were easy targets for arrest under the city’s cross-dressing prohibitions; even buttons on the wrong side of a shirt could result in an arrest.

Tensions peaked on a hot August night when a Compton’s employee called the police, claiming that some transgender customers were causing a disturbance. During the confrontation, a trans patron threw a cup of coffee in a police officer’s face, sparking a riot.

Trans patrons fought back and overwhelmed the police, pushing them out of the cafeteria, smashing the diner’s plate glass windows, and shouting in defiance. A newsstand outside the diner was set ablaze, and police vehicles were damaged. Dozens of people were arrested and taken to jail.

The following day, protesters returned to Compton’s, which denied them entry. In response, they smashed the cafeteria’s newly replaced plate glass windows once again.

At the San Diego council meeting, Blu London, a youth volunteer with Trans Family Support Services, emphasised the importance of remembering trans history as a connection to those courageous protesters.

“By sharing the opportunity to learn about the stories of others who came before us, we make space to imagine futures of our own that we may not have seen, if not for the preservation of our community’s past,” London told council members.

This proclamation comes as Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, push an agenda attacking trans identity. Trump has pledged to defund schools “pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content onto the lives of our children.”

Read related myGwork articles here:

California Assembly Declares August the First Trans History Month in the US

San Francisco Becomes First American City To Recognise Transgender History Month

LGBTQ+ History: The United States of America