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Committee forwards Turk and Taylor intersection landmark initiation to recognize Compton's Cafeteria history

Land, Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors · May 23, 2022

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Summary

The committee voted to initiate a landmark designation for the Turk Street and Taylor Street intersection in the Transgender Cultural District, citing the Compton's Cafeteria riots of August 1966 and the site's importance to transgender and queer history; the item will be sent to the full Board with a minor non‑substantive amendment to reflect new district numbering.

The Land Use and Transportation Committee on May 23 voted to initiate a landmark designation under Planning Code Article 10 for the intersection of Turk and Taylor Streets, a site central to the Compton's Cafeteria riots of August 1966 and to the history of transgender and queer resistance in San Francisco.

Supervisor Dean Preston presented the item as a first step to recognize the corner's historical importance and to request that the Planning Department prepare a landmark designation report. "This corner deserves to be recognized in the historical context... the corner continues to hold significant meaning and carry history for queer and transgender communities," Preston said, noting the site predates the Stonewall uprising by nearly three years.

Public testimony included community leaders from the Transgender Cultural District, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, historians and callers. Jupiter Peraza, director of social justice and empowerment initiatives at the Transgender Cultural District, urged the committee to "recognize this historic intersection because it is monumental," and Elliot Richardson, a public historian, urged that landmarking the site could be a step toward national recognition. Speakers emphasized the site's role in trans history and the value of memorialization amid current national debates about transgender rights.

Supervisor Preston requested and the committee accepted a non‑substantive amendment updating the referenced district number to reflect redistricting. The committee voted to forward the item with a positive recommendation to the full Board. The Planning Department was asked to prepare a report that documents the site's historical and cultural significance.