Black Cat Tavern (Landmark 1063)! - The Bill Beaver Project

What the Plaque/Guide Says:

At midnight on January 1, 1967, undercover LAPD officers raided the Black Cat Tavern in Silver Lake. 14 men were beaten, dragged outside, and arrested. Six men were charged with lewd conduct for same-sex kissing. Outrage over the raid spurred two new California gay rights groups to organize hundreds of protestors to demonstrate against police entrapment and arbitrary arrest. The peaceful demonstration that took place outside the Black Cat Tavern on February 11, 1967, was Southern California’s first public protest for gay rights.

Events like the Black Cat Tavern protest, and earlier demonstrations at Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco, were critical milestones in California’s LGBTQ+ history, opening the floodgates for new civil rights strategies within the LGBTQ+ community that led to the repeal of discriminatory laws in California.

More about California Historical Landmark #1063:

California’s founding statutes don’t use the words “gay” or “LGBTQ+,” which appeared much later than 1850, but in the beginning, there were strict, specific punishments (5 years to life) for anyone engaged in “the infamous crime against nature, either with man or beast!” That left plenty up for interpretation, and by 1947, California considered kissing between two folks of the same gender to be a crime!

In Los Angeles, these codes were enforced by the Administrative Vice Unit of the LAPD, who would regularly raid gathering spots for gay or trans folks, like Cooper Do-nuts in 1959, and arrest anyone who was dancing, smooching, or just dressing in clothes that weren’t conventional. Some of these raids led to riots, like at Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco, not least because anyone arrested for these acts had to register as a sex offender under California law!

The Black Cat was different, though. There was no riot at all! Instead, two new California gay rights groups organized a protest. They were called the Southern California Council on Religion and the Homophile (SCCRH) and Personal Rights in Defense and Education (PRIDE). Yup, that’s the group that introduced “pride” into LGBTQ+ History! Between 200-600 protestors risked arrest, firing from their jobs, and ostracization by their families for picketing that night, but the fight for gay rights would never be the same after that!

In fact, the case of two men arrested at the Black Cat, Charles Talley and Benny Baker, was the first of its kind to go to the Supreme Court, brought by lawyer and ally, Herbert Selwyn. Though the Court declined to hear Talley v. California (1968), it was still the first of its kind, not to deny that the plaintiffs were gay but to assert their right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment! Ultimately, California did repeal many of its harsh anti-gay laws by 1975!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Have a drink or a meal to keep the Black Cat open for business!
Volunteer with the Los Angeles Conservancy!
Donate to the California Landmark Foundation!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!