San Francisco has become the first major U.S. city to celebrate Transgender History Month, kicking things off with a flag-raising ceremony Monday at City Hall where Mayor London Breed extolled the city’s financial investments in the trans community.
August is the month in which the city’s famed Compton’s Cafeteria Riot erupted in 1966 as a response to police harassment of transgender residents in the Tenderloin.
The riot preceded New York’s famed Stonewall Riot by three years and is thought to be one the first LGBTQ uprisings in the country.
“San Francisco has been, and always will be a place where we embrace our diverse communities to ensure everyone has the freedom to be who they are without scrutiny,” Breed said in a news release. “Last year we declared August ‘Transgender History Month’ in San Francisco, making it our country’s first of its kind.”
The city set aside $14 million for combating homelessness in the trans community and for “subsidies” to help trans and gender nonconforming residents find homes, services and employment, according to the release.
Some of the money will be used to provide permanent housing by opening a 50-to 80-unit building for “TGNC and LGBTQ transitional aged youth” and for behavioral health services.
“As trans’ lives and rights remain contested on a national scale, it is more important than ever to acknowledge our history,” said Pau Crego, executive director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives.
More information about San Francisco’s Transgender District can be found online.