“The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot,” an immersive play put on by queer artists and organizers through the Tenderloin Museum, drops you into a critical moment of trans resistance that predated Stonewall. The titular cafeteria was a late-night oasis for transgender women who had to navigate a world (1960s San Francisco) that punished them — through arrest, violence, and getting fired, among other things — for wearing women’s clothing and otherwise presenting as women, and just existing authentically. The show centers on one night in 1966, when tensions between the cafeteria’s clientele and police boiled over into an uprising.
I could describe the joy, anger, fear, and solidarity that I felt at this show, or how completely I was transported to another time and place. And I could talk about how that time and place are not too different from where we are today.
But I’d rather share a conversation I had about the performance with community organizer Tyree Leslie. That’s because of the important perspective he brings to it — as an activist, a recent graduate of GLIDE’s Social Justice Academy, a former special education teacher, and someone who keeps history alive by leading community-based walking tours of the neighborhood with the Tenderloin Museum.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Laura: So what are you thinking about this show?
Tyree: Every time I see it, I’m always so exuberant and excited about it. The world needs to hear: Here, in San Francisco, in the Tenderloin, they were shakin’ shit up before Stonewall! And here it is, our little corner that we have there. We’re a part of history in this country.
Now when I do my tours and we stop by that space — the last one I just did, we went and read the plaque at 111 Taylor, where the actual Compton’s Cafeteria used to be — the play is making this part of the tour more meaningful for me.
Under this LGBT umbrella, this is some “good trouble,” as John Lewis says.
Laura: I finally got to see the show recently myself and it’s so truly immersive. I used to live around the corner and always wondered what’s up with that space. And they built a whole diner in there! It’s amazing!
Tyree: I was unhoused, up at Nextdoor, at the shelter, when I first got to see it. Some of the people that were performing did a small drag show in the alley there. And then when I got a chance to go see it in the diner itself I was like, Ohwow! They just blew me away. I’ve gone to see it maybe five times. There has not been a time that has not uplifted me. When you’re in this social justice work, it’s like a booster shot. Just like, “Oh man, they did this way back in the day!”
After I saw it the first time, I told Mark, the director: “If you need any seat fillers, let me know.” He said, “Show up at seven.” So I did. And I went a few more times. The cast started to see me as a regular. They would say hello, and I got a chance to meet them.
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After the show, when they go to the bar around the corner, you get to talk with them more about their roles. Buy ‘em a drink. You don’t have to drink beer, you can drink water. I’ve learned a lot, even just talking to a few of them. I think it takes it to a whole other level. I want to go again to follow up and to see some of the new cast members — they’ve been stepping right in and doing such a great job.
I’m a former special ed teacher so I always think about learning differences. And this play does an excellent job. This is another way of learning.
Laura: And what does it teach us about the past? There’s a lot of history wrapped into this show, a lot of institutions and people who are huge in this community are mentioned. I’ve learned a bit about those figures as we’ve started this publication, but what do you think this teaches people who maybe aren’t as familiar with these names and organizations?
Tyree: It goes back to: Power to the people. Those words stick even more so coming from the Black Panthers. Power to the people is how things have gotten changed in this country, and power to the people is how things got changed in this neighborhood. They used their physical power to get some stuff done.
It wasn’t always kumbaya, peaceful. That’s what America wants: They want this to be a peaceful transition, which it’s not going to be. That’s just people getting away with no accountability. So unfortunately, it’s not gonna be no kumbaya, peaceful-marching-all-the-time kind of thing. That doesn’t always get the results. As you can see in the play.
The pain that the people have felt, the oppression, the racism, is what the other side is gonna have to feel — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Laura: One of the things I really liked about the performance is that the characters have imperfections. They’re real.
Tyree: I think they did a good job not only making it real, but with the diversity of the cast. Because everyone’s voices did need to be heard at a time like that. Especially in a place like the Tenderloin, where there’s a lot of different cultures coming together. That reflects the Tenderloin today. We have a lot of diversity. The Black character — her lines, to me, are everything. When they talk about how bad it is being Black [as well as transgender or queer] — that’s right.
I think everybody got a chance to be represented there. These were all a part of what made up the Tenderloin. It’s not heavier on one side than the other, even down to the music, all of the types of music. The one character talking about singing folk music—
Laura: Although everyone makes fun of her for that!
Tyree: I know, but everyone’s still familiar with that song. You can still relate to that song in some way.
Laura: True. So how do people go see this play? It’s selling out nearly every show.
Tyree: I’m glad it’s getting more popular. I’m really glad that they’re offering those free community tickets, so that people who may not be able to afford it can see it too.
Scroll near the top of this page for a link to the community ticket portal.
Laura: Anything else you want to add?
Tyree: I’ll give you the 411: The best seats are near the front door. That whole circle area, that’s where a lot of the great acting comes on. But I’ve been in all of the spaces basically, and it’s been great.
I'm a journalist who has covered San Francisco and the Bay Area in writing, audio and video for about a decade; started and hosted a few podcasts; and co-founded News Relay Network, publisher of the Tenderloin Voice. Reach me at laura@tlvoice.org.
