Officially celebrated in San Francisco since 2021 and throughout California since 2023, Transgender History Month is dedicated to celebrating the rich history, achievements, and contributions of transgender people around the world. It aims to raise awareness and promote understanding, to help break down discrimination and showcase that Trans people have always been a vital part of the community.
This Timeline shares a fascinating journey through key moments in transgender history—from ancient times to early activism, to recent breakthroughs in legal rights and cultural recognition. It shows how far the community has come and the ongoing fight for equality.
This celebration month of August commemorates a key event in the Trans rights story. Three years prior to the events at Stonewall, in August of 1966, Black and brown trans women and drag queens started and led a riot against police harassment at Compton’s Cafeteria in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. Formally known as the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots of 1966, it is regarded as the first large-scale act of resistance of transgender and queer individuals against police in the United States. Read more here.