February 11th marks a prominent moment in LGBTQ+ history.
The Black Cat Tavern raid in 1967 is one such moment—a flashpoint that ignited activism and helped to pave the way for LGBTQ+ equality.
Historical Background
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During the 1960s, the queer community faced widespread discrimination and oppression. Being openly gay was ostracized, and anti-sodomy laws were enforced. Police raids on gay establishments were frequently happening and often brutal, serving as a clear message from society: being LGBTQ+ was not acceptable.
The Black Cat Tavern Raids
The Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles was a haven for the community. However, on New Year’s Eve 1966, the popular Silverlake establishment became a symbol of oppression. Police stormed the tavern, claiming lewd conduct violations. Patrons were savagely beaten, and several were arrested, marking an escalation in the police’s battle against LGBTQ+ individuals.
Activism, Legacy & Impact
Two months after the raids, on February 11, 1967, advocates organized a protest outside the tavern. This marked one of the earliest recorded LGBTQ+ rights protests in the United States, making it a clear watershed moment for our community.
This protest, in response to the Black Cat Tavern raid weeks earlier, served as a forerunner to the Stonewall riots of 1969. Together, these events inspired a new phase of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, including legal and social changes that improved queer people’s quality of life.
The significance of the Black Cat Tavern incident has been formally recognized; in 2008, the site was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument for its role in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.
Mr. Stadnick
Looks like today is a good day to go for a drive down Sunset to Silverlake.
Kangol2
Glad Queerty’s honoring this landmark moment in LGBTQ history!
dbmcvey
Thank you for this!
wikidBSTN
A LOT happened before Stonewall. And it we all owe it to those extremely brave and often very alone individuals and small groups who came forward to fight.
winemaker
I live in San Francisco but spent some time in Los Angeles and had never heard of the Black Cat even though I spent time in the Silverlake neighborhood. The men in Silverlake seemed friendlier than their arrogant West Hollywood counterparts. It would have been great if this article published the address of this particular gay bar. Very likely the address has gone through many changes and is no longer a gay bar but it would be great to know where this place in our history was at one time. This is similar to Clifton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco. In 1966 there was a riot at this tenderloin cafeteria but surprisingly there are no people who can recall the exact address of either locations, strange to say the least.
dbmcvey
The location where the Black Cat was is currently called the Black Cat, but when I first moved to LA it was called (I believe) le Barcita, and was a gay bar. The current iteration is a bar/restaurant though not specifically gay, like most places in Silverlake is very gay friendly. It has a lot of historical photos and information on the walls.
What the Stonewall Riots had going for them is that there were a lot of activists who could make it into a movement, they were able to publicize it and keep the memory alive. There were riots in other places including San Francisco, LA and other places but no one capitalized on them.
Kangol2
Winemaker, seriously? A simple net search turned up the answer to the Tenderloin location of Compton’s Cafeteria, where the trans and drag queen uprising took place in 1966.
Clifton’s Cafeteria is a famous chain in the Los Angeles area.
The Tenderloin location of Compton’s Cafeteria was at 101 Taylor Street (at Turk), in the San Francisco Tenderloin.
Sheesh!