Save the date for this year’s Riot Party from the Transgender District on August 27, 2023 at Kapwa Gardens! The free celebration includes complimentary food, a cash bar, and a great lineup of live entertainment.
San Francisco became the first U.S. city to officially recognize August as Transgender History Month back in 2021. In a city where so many essential moments in LGBTQ+ history have taken place, we’re excited to see even more progress being made before our eyes.
The Riot Party is an outdoor concert fundraiser that brings in essential funds for the Transgender District’s initiatives including the Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program and Black Census Project. This year’s performers include Peaches Christ, Helixir, Kipper Snacks, Melanie Sparks, Mia Munro, Papi Churro, Per Sia, and DJ Kkingboo. Check it out from 12-5pm on August 27 at Kapwa Gardens in San Francisco. Admission is free with complimentary food and a cash bar.
The Riot Party is so named for the Compton’s Cafeteria riots of 1966, in which a large group of transgender women and drag queens resisted arrest in the Tenderloin at the intersection of Turk and Taylor Streets. They fought back with handbags and high heels to protest violent abuse and harassment they suffered at the hands of the police. This event was one of the first LGBTQ+ riots in the United States, preceding the more famous Stonewall riots of 1969.
About the Transgender District
The Transgender District occupies 2 blocks of Sixth Street and 6 blocks in the southeastern Tenderloin. It’s the first legally recognized transgender district in the US, with portions of the streets named to honor the contributions of transgender people.
The District works to create a safe and empowering neighborhood where trans people are represented in the ownership of buildings, businesses, and homes through a series of program initiatives. The initiatives center on tenant protections, economics and workforce development, arts and culture, cultural heritage conservation, cultural competency, and land use. You’ll know you’re in the Transgender District because all of the light poles bear the colors of the Transgender Flag.