Compton's Transgender Cultural District

The Transgender District, also known as Compton's Transgender Cultural District, is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. Named after the first documented uprising of transgender and queer people in United States history, the Compton's Cafeteria riot of 1966, the district encompasses six blocks in the southeastern Tenderloin, San Francisco, and crosses over Market Street to include two blocks of Sixth Street. It was co-founded by Honey Mahogany, Janetta Johnson, and Aria Sa'id; Sa'id serves as the executive director.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

A sign reads "Compton's Transgender Cultural District" at the intersection of Eddy and Mason streets in the Tenderloin. Poles in the background are painted with the blue, pink, and white colors of the Transgender Pride Flag.

The cultural district was established via ordinance by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2017. In July 2019, the board allocated $300,000 in seed money to support the district.[7] District projects planned for 2020 include a coffee shop that will provide job training for local trans people of color.[8]

In March 2020, the district announced a name change to simply The Transgender District. Executive director Aria Sa'id explained that they did not wish to "continue honoring [Gene Compton] and his restaurant", as "he was a huge reason behind having drag queens, queer, and trans folks arrested".[9]

References
  1. Sawyer, Nuala (February 6, 2019). "The First Transgender District in the Nation Gets a New Director". SF Weekly. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  2. Tovar, Virgie (February 26, 2019). "First Ever Transgender Cultural District Co-Founded By #XLBossLady Aria Sa'id". Forbes. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  3. Veltman, Chloe (January 28, 2019). "San Francisco's Storied Transgender Community Now Has An Official Home". NPR. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  4. Levin, Sam (June 21, 2019). "Compton's Cafeteria riot: a historic act of trans resistance, three years before Stonewall". The Guardian. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  5. Rodriguez, Joe Fitzgerald (June 26, 2019). "SF posts new street signs and trans Pride flags across Compton's Transgender Cultural District". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  6. "America's first transgender cultural district". CNN. May 23, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  7. Elison, Meg (August 14, 2019). "SF queer cultural districts take shape". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  8. Willis, Raquel (November 20, 2019). "How We Can End the Violence Against Trans Women of Color". Out. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  9. Ferrannini, John (March 20, 2020). "Online Extra: SF transgender district drops cafeteria owner's name". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2020.


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