When A Gay Holy Place Burned In New Orleans

[William769]

How many times in the past 40 years have you heard about the Upstairs Lounge fire in New Orleans? Sadly, probably not many, and certainly not enough. Even though 32 people died, making it the largest mass murder of gay people in American history, this incident is woefully unknown. So, for your edification (or as a refresher), here's what happened: On Sunday, June 24th, 1973, only four years after the Stonewall Rebellion, about 60 people were at a gay bar and meeting space called the Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans's French Quarter.

At around 8 p.m., they heard the bell ring, someone opened the door and fire engulfed the room. Twenty-nine died at the scene. Three died later, at local hospitals.

News reports at the time either didn't mention that the Upstairs Lounge was a gay establishment or alluded to the fact that justice was a futile, fruitless pursuit. And newspapers sensationalized rather than humanized the deaths. Erik Ose paraphrases, "…The States-Item, New Orleans's afternoon paper, described 'bodies stacked up like pancakes,' and that 'in one corner, workers stood knee deep in bodies...the heat had been so intense, many were cooked together.' Other reports spoke of 'mass charred flesh' and victims who were ''iterally cooked.'"

As Ose also notes, the tragedy spawned a hideous joke: "What will they bury the ashes of queers in? Fruit jars." No one at the time, and very few today, mentioned that in addition to being a bar, Upstairs Lounge had hosted Sunday services for the Metropolitan Community Church, the first LGBT-inclusive church in the nation.

Two other MCC churches were torched in the weeks directly preceding the Upstairs arson. In Los Angeles, where it was founded, the church was targeted in January of 1973, five days after Roe v. Wade was decided, and again in April, which destroyed it. Another church, this time in San Francisco, was destroyed in July, after the New Orleans fire killed 32 people, including MCC Reverend Bill Larson.

http://www.out.com/entertainment/popnography/2013/06/24/when-gay-holy-place-burned-new-orleans

In remembrance of those who lost their lives.

[Starry Messenger]

1. .

[sibelian]

2. Thanks for posting this, Will.

It's not often that we hear about such things.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. This part made me very sad: "Homophobia being what it was, several families declined ...

... to claim the bodies and one church after another refused to bury or memorialize the dead. Three victims were never identified or claimed, and were interred at the local potter’s field.

[William769]

8. Yes very sad.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. When I lived there, I had never heard of this event.

It was after we left, I found out about it by watching...well...Ghost Hunters! I looked it up and read all kinds of things. I think when I heard about it, I even posted about it in the LGBT group.

[William769]

7. I don't remember your post about it.

This happened when I was only 10 but I had a good friend that was (lets just say a older gentleman) that told me about this when I was 22. I have never forgotten the horror stories he told me of this massacre.

[Behind the Aegis]

11. I double checked and it isn't in LGBT.

I am certain I posted about on DU because I was so surprised I hadn't heard of it and was curious if others had. This was over a year (or more ago). Given that I also went on TWO gay tours while in New Orleans, I was even more surprised when I heard about it watching a ghost hunters show whilst sitting in my living room in NE OK.

ETA: I just found a thread by Rowdyboy, dated the same date as today...from last year!

[William769]

16. I just got back from Miami today

Seeing old friends this was one of the topics of conversation and since this is the anniversary (not the good kind), I decided to post this.

It was one of those reunions where the crowd keeps dwindling.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. (sorry for the deleted post, thought I was in LGBT)

I know it is hard though to go to reunions like that and seeing that the "gang" isn't all there. I have very few friends by choice, so it is very important to keep them close.

[KamaAina]

34. Me neither.

And I had quite a few friends in the LGBT community.

[geek tragedy]

5. horrifying, thank you for sharing this

I had never heard of this atrocity.

Hate kills.

[William769]

10. I almost did not post this

But decided that the more people know about it the less likely it is to ever happen again.

[geek tragedy]

15. reminds me of the 16th Street Baptist church bombing

in Birmingham, AL conducted by the KKK.

[William769]

17. Another horrific event.

Unfortunately there more more than I care to remember.

[Arcanetrance]

6. Wow I never heard of this incident its sad on a very large scale

[Marrah_G]

9. I had never heard of it until an episode of Ghosthunters

[Behind the Aegis]

12. Same here!

[one_voice]

13. Terribly sad! I hate, hate!!

[William769]

20. Your one of the good one's.

Don't ever forget that.

[Behind the Aegis]

22. That she is!!!!

[TDale313]

14. Thank you for posting this.

Had never heard about this. How incredibly sad.

[Lucky Luciano]

21. An overt act of terrorism. nt

[ismnotwasm]

23. K&R

[Sissyk]

24. Thank you, William!

I have not heard this horrendous story before. Thanks for bringing it to DU so we learn and do not forget.

My wish in life is that hate like this dies.

[MountainLaurel]

25. The Times-Picayune did a series this weekend

http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2013/06/upstairs_lounge_fire_40_years.html#/0#incart_maj-story-1#incart_special-report

[mountain grammy]

26. I remember the news of the fire and the tragic deaths.

The news reports were horrendous, but I honestly don't remember any news referring to the club as a gay establishment or anything about the church. No internet in 1973. Only got the parts of the story the "news" outlets thought to be pertinent.

[azurnoir]

27. Thank you for posting

what is really disturbing is the way the NOLA police shrugged off mass murder

The police did little to followup on the incident -- chief detective Major Henry Morris shrugged to reporters, "you know this was a queer bar." -- and the public didn't seem to care.

and neither did the police apparently

[Scruffy Rumbler]

28. Thanks, William769!

I was nine when this happened and have never heard of it. Will be sharing this with others in my community.....

[xchrom]

29. Du rec. Nt

[marmar]

30. k/r

[Major Nikon]

31. A picture from my last trip to New Orleans

[DeSwiss]

32. K&R

[shenmue]

33. I've got something in my eye

Damn.

[nolabear]

35. I lived there at the time. There was another fire about a year prior.

It was in a high rise called The Rault Center. Five women (inc my upstairs neighbor) died. It was one of the most publicized fires ever. This one was so little cared about. I'm so very sorry. All those people. All those people. *sigh*

[bigwillq]

36. K and R

Thanks for posting.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

37. It's amazing that the police let someone get away with murder....

I bet if you asked around at the time most people would say that society was better off with fewer gays.

[William769]

38. Whats really sad is there are still many places like that today.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

39. It used to be that way in the Old West for "Injuns" and "Chinamen",...and the Irish.

[Raster]

40. Thank you for posting. Murder it was...

...and we do not forget.