Chicago History Museum (Venue Partner)
1601 N Clark St
312.642.4600
This event has passed.
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Protesters outside of Compton's Cafeteria, 1966
- When
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Thursday May 8, 2008 (6:30pm)
- Where
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- Price
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$12
- Links
Note: An afterparty, presented by Newcity magazine, follows the presentation.
For queer historian, activist, and filmmaker Susan Stryker, the roots of the contemporary transgender movement lie in the Compton's Cafeteria riot of 1966 — the first collective LGBT resistance to police harassment in US history. Stryker, whose documentary on the subject, Screaming Queens (2005), screened earlier this week at CHM, is on hand this evening to discuss the fascinating history of transgender activism. From that radical dawn at Compton's to the short-lived Lavender Panthers ('70s queer street-safety vigilantes who modeled themselves on the Black Panthers), the fight for equality and acceptance started long ago, but as Stryker makes clear, it's far from over.
