Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 8, 2023 / 14:48 pm
California became the first state to declare a “Transgender History Month” after the state assembly voted this week to dedicate the month of August to that purpose.
The recognition of Transgender History Month is meant to “create a culture led by research, education, and scholarly recognition of the contributions of transgender Californians,” according to the text of the resolution, which was sponsored by Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco.
According to the resolution, transgenderism existed in California since before European colonization. The resolution refers to the state as the historical “epicenter of the trans liberation movement” and says that transgender history is being erased through “recent culture wars” in which they “are being dehumanized and politicized.”
The month of August was chosen to commemorate Compton’s Cafeteria Riots of 1966, according to the resolution. The 1966 events culminated in a violent transgender-led riot against the cafeteria workers and the police, based on alleged harassment and mistreatment. The city outlawed cross-dressing until 1974, but the Tenderloin District, where the riot took place, was later legally designated as the world’s first transgender cultural district.