Before Stonewall, There Was The Cooper's Donuts And Compton's Cafeteria Riots
http://www.queerty.com/before-stonewall-there-was-the-coopers-donuts-and-comptons-cafeteria-riots-20111007/October is LGBT History Month. All throughout the month we'll revisit stories that shed light on lesser-known moments in LGBT history.
While many think of the Stonewall riots as the beginning of the modern gay movement, there were numerous incidents and organizations that paved the way for what happened in June 1969. Two major uprisings broke out years before and some 3,000 miles away: The 1959 riot at Cooper's Donuts in Los Angeles and a 1966 riot at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco.
Though knowledge of both has faded over the years, they provide an important illustration of where trans folk, queens and sexual outlaws figure into the modern LGBT rights movement and what led them to finally stand up to abuse and discrimination.
