Predating the Stonewall Riots by ten years, Cooper Do-nuts was the site of a 1959 protest against the LAPD's harrassment of the gay and transgender clientele frequenting the shop. Due to Cooper Do-nuts' proximity to several gay and lesbian establishments, a case of resisting arrest evolved into a full-scale riot that is remembered as the first open act of LGBTQ resistance toward police abuse in the United States.
Alternate Names
Cooper's Do-nuts
First Documented
1956
Last Documented
1956
Cooper Do-nuts
316 E 5th St
547 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
United States
Abstract
Predating the Stonewall Riots by ten years, Cooper Do-nuts was the site of a 1959 protest against the LAPD's harrassment of the gay and transgender clientele frequenting the shop. Due to Cooper Do-nuts' proximity to several gay and lesbian establishments, a case of resisting arrest evolved into a full-scale riot that is remembered as the first open act of LGBTQ resistance toward police abuse in the United States.
Citations
Avery, Dan. “5 Pre-Stonewall Moments That Changed the Course of LGBTQ History.” Logo: New, Now, Next, 1 June 2014
SAYiT. “LGBT+ History Month: The Cooper Donuts Riot - 1959.” SAYiT, 21 Feb. 2020
“LGBTQ History in Los Angeles: Cooper Do-Nuts and Black Cat Tavern.” Los Angeles Almanac, 31 Mar. 2021
Zonkel, Phillip. “Queer History Was Made at Cooper’s Donuts in Los Angeles.” Q Voice News, 3 May 2018
Moffitt, Evan. “Today in Gay History: 10 Years Before Stonewall, There Was the Cooper’s Donuts Riot.” Out, 31 May 2015
Geo
33.9255722, -118.2739173
