Cooper’s Donuts Riot

#CoopersDonutsRiots (May 1959): In the late 1950s, #CoopersDonuts was a 24-hour cafe that catered mainly to LGBTQ clientele in #LosAngeles. Frequently, #LGBTQ people were harassed by police in the cafe, and #TransWomen and #DragQueens were specifically targeted for breaking a law at the time that stated that a person could be arrested if their gender presentation did not match the gender shown on their ID. In May 1959, the police arrested two drag queens, two male sex workers, and a gay man (#JohnRechy, who became a novelist and wrote about this experience in his work #CityOfNight). After those arrested protested the lack of room in the back of the police car, onlookers, many of them #transgender, began throwing coffee, cups, and trash at the police officers in an effort to state their rage against the frequent police brutality they suffered at the hands of the LAPD. Social unrest broke out and police and protesters fought each other through the next day. This is now considered the first gay uprising in modern history, taking place a decade before the #StonewallUprising. #PrideMonth#LGBTQIA#LGBTQIAPride#Pride#LegendsOfPride#YouCannotEraseUs