1966: Compton Cafeteria Riots
Transgender women and drag queens in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco riot against police brutality and discrimination. The event marks the genesis of transgender activism in San Francisco.
1969: Stonewall Riots
Police raid the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village in New York City, and attempt to arrest patrons for homosexual activity. The patrons fight back, sparking a nation-wide movement for gay civil rights.
1971: Grande Cypress Empire of Monterey,
a charitable organization that holds functions including drag shows, is founded. After the rise of HIV, Grande Cypress Empire raised thousands of dollars for the Monterey County AIDS Project, John XXIII AIDS ministry and other local nonprofits.
After Dark
1975: the gay bar After Dark opens in Monterey.
This bar was the primary gathering spot for LGBTQ+ people locally, as the only gay bar and dance club – and host of drag shows and fundraisers – for more than 20 years (see story).
1978: Demeter
A local women’s organization with many LGBTQ+ members, launches a community newspaper for women’s news on the Monterey Peninsula. The paper was published though 1985.
1981: Gay-Related Immune Deficiency, later named AIDS, is first documented.
Within a decade, more than 156,000 people in the U.S. died from AIDS-related illnesses.
Franco’s Norma Jean’s
1989: Franco’s Norma Jean’s Nightclub
The night club in Castroville becomes a gay bar. Owner Ernie Sanchez transitions the club into a gay bar. The bar, still in operation today on Saturday nights, is currently Monterey County’s only gay bar and hosts weekly drag shows every Saturday at midnight.
1993: First Monterey Pride event happens at After Dark
'The Paper'
1994: The Paper begins publication.
It was the region’s only gay newspaper, with news, opinion and poetry about AIDS and the LGBTQ+ community. It was published until 1999.
1999: After Dark,
the Monterey Peninsula’s only gay bar, closes after 25 years in operation.
2004: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
directs the city clerk to authorize same-sex marriage certificates. An opposition movement forms, eventually authoring Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage.
2005: Salinas High School
launches a Gay-Straight Alliance club (see story).
2007: The first Gay Pride march happens in Salinas.
A group organized by Lisa Fortes-Schramm, her spouse Petra Fortes-Schramm, Michelle Huizar, Rick Carpenter and Ryan Leveskis march through Oldtown in August, with then-Assemblymember Anna Caballero serving as grand marshal. Petra Fortes-Schramm, who grew up in Soledad, “wanted to create visibility for the community in the Salinas Valley.”
2007: California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
launches its LGBTQ+ assistance program in Salinas, led by attorney Lisa Cisneros.
2008: California voters pass Proposition 8.
After the state Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, voter-approved Prop. 8 overturns that newfound right. The measure defines marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman.
2008: second Salinas Pride march.
Comedian Bruce Daniels serves as grand marshal.
2009: Salinas Valley Pride Celebrations launches.
2009 Gay Night launches.
Without a gay bar, a rotating lineup of bars in Salinas host Wednesday night gay nights, until 2015.
2010: Proposition 8 is overturned.
The U.S. Supreme Court finds that California’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and same-sex marriage again becomes legal in the state. (The decision took effect in 2013.)
2011: FAIR Education Act signed into law
Gov. Jerry Brown signs a new law that mandates public schools in California teach LGBT history. Salinas schools adopted the new curriculum in 2019.
2014: The Epicenter,
a nonprofit LGBTQ+ resource center for youth, opens in Salinas.
2015: Same-sex marriage is legalized across the country.
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that states cannot ban same-sex marriage. The 5-4 ruling upholds marriage equality nationwide.
2015: Transgender Salinas High School student Angie Esteban
is crowned prom queen.
2017: Salinas Valley Pride Celebrations
becomes a 501(c)(3) organization.
Monterey Peninsula Pride March
2017: First official Monterey Peninsula Pride march in Seaside
2019: Third Monterey Peninsula Pride march,
moved to Monterey, is led by remarks from U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley.
2019: Yasss Monterey
hosts its inaugural queer-friendly event at The Dali Expo, themed as an “After Dark Reunion,” on Oct. 5. On Oct. 13, the first-ever A Gay Affair convenes at Wave Street Studios to recognize LGBTQ+ leaders.
2019: U.S. Supreme Court
hears oral arguments in a case about employment discrimination based on sexuality. More than 50 years after Congress first passed employment discrimination laws in 1964, the case questions whether discrimination “because of sex” also applies to LGBTQ+ employees.
2019: Salinas Valley Pride
awards three $500 scholarships to queer college students, thanks to the success of a donation jar at The Cherry Bean.
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