Elliott Blackstone
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Elliott Blackstone | |
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Born | |
Died | October 25, 2006 | (aged 81)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Police Officer |
Years active | 1949-1975 |
Known for | Work with the San Francisco LGBT community |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Elliott R. Blackstone (November 30, 1924 – October 25, 2006) was a sergeant in the San Francisco Police Department, known as a longtime advocate for the lesbian, gay and transgender community in that city.[1]
Early life
Born in
LGBT advocacy and community relations
Though Blackstone had proposed the formation of a public relations program for the SFPD, it wasn't until after the "Gayola" scandal - which involved officers soliciting bribes from owners of gay bars in the Tenderloin - that a community relations unit was formed.[citation needed] Blackstone, who had been transferred to the Central City Station housing many of these bars, requested to join the unit after some time.[citation needed]
Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Blackstone worked closely with other local
Blackstone was involved in many other church and community activities and taught community policing courses at the College of Marin. He also led sensitivity trainings for the San Francisco Police Academy on gay and transgender issues, which every graduate had to take.[5] At his retirement dinner in 1975, he was saluted by LGBT community leaders for his advocacy and support. In 2005, an interview with Blackstone was featured in Screaming Queens, a documentary about the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria riot.[6]
Community-relations liaison
In the months following the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, Blackstone participated in efforts by the Tenderloin neighborhood organizing campaign to establish the Central City Anti-Poverty Program,[5] as part of the War on Poverty under President Lyndon B. Johnson.[citation needed] The program included an office where Blackstone served as the community-relations liaison to the homophile community.[5] Blackstone's introduction to advocating for the transgender community occurred when Louise Ergestrasse came into his office with a copy of The Transsexual Phenomenon by Harry Benjamin and demanded he do something for "her people." He didn't know a lot about transgender issues, but he was willing to learn and spent the next several years using his role as community liaison to help the transgender community.[5]
Blackstone played a key role in changing the attitudes and practices of law enforcement. While the
National Transsexual Counseling Unit
In 1968, the National Transsexual Counseling Unit was formed with financial backing from the
Blackstone's work with the LGBTQ+ community received pushback from some fellow police officers, including a raid of the NCTU office in 1973. The raid was initiated after a police informant pretended to be romantically interested in one of the peer counselors and coerced her into bringing cocaine for him to work.[5] During this raid, two peer counselors were arrested on suspicion of narcotics dealing, and an officer planted narcotics in Blackstone's desk in an attempt to frame him as well.[5] Blackstone avoided prosecution but was removed from his role serving the transgender community, and reassigned to a foot patrol in a different district, where he remained until retiring in 1975.[5]
Recognition and legacy
According to one source,[3]
At the 2005 world premiere at the
Castro Theater, Blackstone received a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of more than 1000 people, when he answered an audience member's question; asked why, as a straight man, he had worked so hard on behalf of LGBT rights, he said, "Because my religion teaches me to love everybody."
In June 2006 Blackstone received commendations for his longtime advocacy work from the
Death
Blackstone died of a stroke in 2006.[4]
See also
References
- ^ LIFE. Time Inc. 1971-12-31.
- ^ a b c "Elliot Blackstone (1924 – 2006) police officer, trans ally". A Gender Variance Who's Who. 2014-04-11. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
- ^ a b c d "Compton's Cafeteria Riot - Elliott Blackstone". 2006-11-28. Archived from the original on 2006-11-28. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ a b "Elliott Blackstone - police liaison for LGBT community". November 17, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-58005-690-8.
- ^ KQED Arts (2016-07-21), Screaming Queens, archived from the original on 2021-12-13, retrieved 2018-09-30
- ^ "Elliott R. Blackstone". Legacy.com. 2006-11-05. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
External links
- Obituary of Sgt. Blackstone, San Francisco Chronicle
- Elliot Blackstone interview Archived 2018-09-30 at the Wayback Machine by Susan Stryker (1996)
- Compton's Cafeteria riot web site
- "San Francisco Pride Announces Sergeant Elliot Blackstone Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal"
- "Pride Parade Salute for an Unlikely Ally," San Francisco Chronicle Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Commendation of Sgt. Blackstone at site of riots, and dedication of granite plaque set into the sidewalk on YouTube