Pride and Places: New Orleans City Council honors 32 queer lives lost in 1973 arson

49 years later, New Orleans’ queer community remembers the thirty-two lives lost. (Photo: Tim Reynolds)

Late on a summer evening, looking for an outlet from a world that loudly refused to accept them, the victims of the Upstairs Lounge Arson had no idea their night out would turn into anything other than a moment of social escapism. During that era, they entered that gay bar knowing full well the dangers of publicly identifying oneself as queer. Sadly, on June 24, 1973, their bravery would cost their lives.

Above the Jimani, a sports bar that remains, the Upstairs Lounge served as the popular hangout for New Orlean’s queer community and allies. Located on the second floor of a three-story building, a staircase arrived at steel doors leading patrons inside the venue. The attack happened during that year’s Pride weekend, which had recently been made a tradition in 1971.

The media made plenty of errors regarding the mass murder and very little international attention was paid. (Photo: Jimani)

At 7:56 p.m., an unidentified man rang the buzzer, which was used to indicate when a cab arrived. When the bar opened its entrance, the staircase had been set ablaze, trapping over sixty people inside. Unfortunately, the owners failed to mark the emergency exit, and the windows had been boarded up or covered with iron bars. Thirty-two people died in flames or by being stomped on amidst a desperate crowd trying to escape. The bar was often used as a gathering space for the local Metropolitan Community Church. Police discovered the pastor burned alive the next day, wedged in a window.

Rev. Bill Larson, the local MCC pastor, got stuck halfway and burned to death wedged in a window. (Photo: Jimani)

During that year, this was the third firebombing targetting the MCC Church, following attacks in Nashville and Los Angeles. The church’s Los Angeles headquarters had been destroyed five days after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in the case of Roe v. Wade.

Until the Pulse massacre in 2016, this had been the deadliest attack on LGBTQ+ in history. But, unlike the Orlando shooting, this disappeared from headlines and press the next day. The city never charged a suspect or publicly acknowledged it as a hate crime. The investigation ended as quickly as it never truly began. Perhaps, that’s why New Orleans’ queer community made it their responsibility to spread the word of the massacre, to prevent the deaths of their friends and family from falling into oblivion.

A crowd celebrates the city finally voting to acknowledge and honor the victims on the day before the anniversary. (Photo: Tim Reynolds)

Upstairs Lounge Arson – New Orlean’s recognition

On the 30th anniversary in 2003, a public memorial plaque on the sidewalk in front of the building was placed to visibly indicate the significance of the location. Jimani continues to honor its former neighbor, dedicating a section of its website to acknowledge the venue’s existence and inform its patrons about the thirty-two lives that were swept under the rug.

This year, on the day before the 49th anniversary, the New Orleans City Council voted to recognize and honor the victims. While the city might have been 49 years late in acknowledging the lives taken by hate, the Crescent City Leathermen feel that it’s never too late to do the right thing. The organization executes local events, partnering with other queer organizations and raising funds for critical LGBTQ+ causes.

Pastor Ed Cooper of St. Mark Methodist Church New Orleans (Photo: Anthony Leggio)

CCL’s President Tim Reynolds tells GayCities that in 2019, the previous organizer of the Upstairs Lounge’s yearly commemoration could no longer continue planning the event. “We took up the privilege of organizing the memorial each year. The Upstairs Lounge represented a cross-section of the New Orleans LGBT community. We gather each year to remember those lost in the fire and remind ourselves how far we have come as a community.”

Once again, New Orleans’ queer community came together in front of 604 Iberville Street, the building that remains as the only witness to the tragedy. The Leathermen know there’s no way to guarantee more hate crimes won’t happen, but we can ensure no life lost is ever forgotten.

Strangers gather like friends to commemorate the 49th anniversary. (Photo: Tim Reynolds)

RELATED – Pride in Places: New York’s Stonewall Inn continues to honor the shoulders its history stands on

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