By Joanie Juster—
Transgender History Month received its official kickoff on August 7, 2026, with a celebration in San Francisco City Hall that featured the raising of the transgender flag on The Mayor’s Balcony, a program of community leaders speaking about progress that has been made, and the ongoing need for further work to be done to ensure the safety, security, and wellbeing of transgender people.
Founded in 2021 by mayoral proclamation thanks to the advocacy of Jupiter Peraza and the Transgender District, Transgender History Month became officially recognized statewide in 2023. It is celebrated in August to commemorate the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in the Tenderloin, an event widely recognized as a pivotal moment in the fight for transgender rights. It aims to honor and celebrate the leaders and trailblazers in the trans community who have led the way for others, to shine a light on transgender leaders who have played key roles in local and global history, and to promote learning about transgender people and their history through libraries, community groups, and other venues that can educate people, and foster understanding and connections.
The program at the Mayor’s Office did all that, and more. Honey Mahogany opened the formal program by listing some of the accomplishments of San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, the Trans Advisory Committee, and the community organizations that worked hard this past year to secure funding in the city’s budget despite threatened cuts at the federal, state, and local level.
Another big win was partnering with the city for the Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO) that protects transgender people and others fleeing from persecution in other states by ensuring that employers and affordable housing providers cannot discriminate based on out-of-state criminal convictions or arrests for conduct that is lawful in California, related to drag performances, gender-affirming care, abortion-related healthcare, or spontaneous abortion. The FCO goes into effect on August 10, 2026.
Mayor Lurie spoke directly about the elephant in the room—the confrontations with police that concluded this year’s Trans March. Acknowledging the threats to the trans community that are coming from the federal government, he talked about the need to strengthen the safety net that supports the community by providing funding for community organizations, and also by enhancing cultural competency training for police and other city employees. He said, “Every San Franciscan should feel safe, heard, and supported.”
Trans activist Cecilia Chung echoed the mayor’s call for safety, saying, “If trans people can be safe in this city, then everyone can be safe in this city … . Try not to dehumanize us, because we’re all part of this social fabric we call San Francisco.”
A common theme among all the speakers was the need for trans people to tell their stories, and share their history. Activist and historian Megan Rohrer is the author of San Francisco’s Transgender District and leads walking tours of the district. He shared compelling stories of early transgender activists Carlos Lara and Diana Summers, who in the 1960s defied repeated efforts by San Francisco police to silence them. Rohrer said, “When these things are taken from us, we take to the streets, and tell these stories.” Using the examples of pioneers like Lara, Summers, and the trans women who fought in the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, he said, “Telling stories saves lives, changes policy, and helps policing become better.”
Katie Conry, Executive Director of the Tenderloin Museum; and iconic trans activist, performer, and co-creator of Compton’s Cafeteria Riot Donna Personna also emphasized the importance of learning and sharing the community’s history. Personna, who just turned 80, declared, “I was magically sent here to witness history in the making, and to tell these stories. Nobody gave us anything. We earned it!”
After so many references to the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, the program ended with an electrifying excerpt from the play. Wendy Sorrells performed a fiery monologue that made very clear why the discrimination and dehumanization experienced by the trans community can boil up and explode in events like the Compton’s Cafeteria and Stonewall riots. The fierce activism that rose out of those events has led directly to the progress we see today—and the battles that continue to be fought throughout the country and the world in the search for equality, safety, and respect.
Celebrate Transgender History Month by reading about this community’s history, by standing up and fighting for trans rights, and by seeing Compton’s Cafeteria Riot.
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
Transgender History Month
Published on August 13, 2026
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