Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria

When San Francisco police raided a popular late-night hangout for transgendered people in 1966, the patrons unexpectedly fought back, helping to launch a broader fight of human rights in America.

Film Signature Image
Premiere Date
June 1, 2006
Length
60 minutes
Funding Initiative
Open Call
  • Award laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2006 Northern California Emmy Awards-Best Historical/Cultural Program
    • Producer

    Victor Silverman

    Producer

    Susan Stryker

    Producer

    Jack Walsh

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    The Film

    When San Francisco police raided a popular late-night hangout for transgendered people in the city's impoverished Tenderloin district in 1966, the patrons unexpectedly fought back. It was the first known instance of collective, queer resistance to police intimidation in United States history. Screaming Queens tells the story of this little known uprising that helped launch a broader fight for human rights in America.

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