The UpStairs Lounge Fire Killed 32 People. Its Legacy Still Hnts Black Gay New Orleans

Contents:

• FORTY FIVE YEARS AGO A FIRE NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR TOOK 32 LIV – AND WAS MET WH APATHY
• NEW ORLEANS SEARCH FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE THAT KILLED 31
• SEARCH RENEWED FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE
• 50 YEARS AGO, THE FIRE AT THE UP STAIRS LOUNGE GAY BAR NEW ORLEANS KILLED 32
• IN 1973, AN ARSON KILLED 32 PEOPLE AT A GAY BAR. FOR YEARS, IT WAS FOTTEN
• BOOK REMEMBERS VASTATG 1973 FIRE AT GAY NEW ORLEANS BAR
• A ‘FOTTEN TRAGEDY’ AT A NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR AND A NEW EFFORT TO HONOR VICTIMS’ REMAS
• A FIRE KILLED 32 AT A NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR. THIS ARTIST DIDN’T FET.
• ALMOST 50 YEARS LATER, ADLY ATTACK AT NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR REMAS UNSOLVED
• THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE FIRE KILLED 32 PEOPLE. ITS LEGACY STILL HNTS BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANSTRAGEDYJACK THORNELL/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK32 PEOPLE WERE KILLED WHEN FIRE ENGULFED THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE GAY BAR NEW ORLEANS 1973. BLACK LGBT PEOPLE SAY THE STGGLE FOR RPECT AND VISIBILY THE CY IS ONGOG.ROBERT W. FIELERUPDATED MAY 13, 2019 12:01PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 11, 2019 10:59PM EDT THE UPG 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL RTS NEW YORK CY NEXT MONTH IS G A HALF-CENTURY LOOK-BACK AT THE AMERIN LGBT RIGHTS MOVEMENT. BEHD THE TRIUMPHALIST NARRATIVE MONLY POSED—THAT OF THE LONG BUT EVABLE MARCH TO EEDOM FOR GAY WHE MAL—IS A HISTORY OF LOST ATROCI AND UNEVEN ADVANCEMENT, PECIALLY FOR MORE MARGALIZED GROUPS PLAC LIKE THE “QUEER CAPAL OF THE SOUTH,” A.K.A. NEW ORLEANS. THERE WAS A TIME NEW ORLEANS WHEN HOMOSEXUALY WAS ILLEGAL, AND “GAY” WAS A DIRTY WORD, BUT SOMEHOW BEG BLACK AND GAY MA YOU NEGLIGIBLE TO OTHER GAYS, OTHER BLACK RINTS AND THE CY AT LARGE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, A GAY BAR, BURNED TO ASH 1973 KILLG 32 PEOPLE, SPARKED AN EFFECTIVE CRACKDOWN ON THE BAR SCENE. UNSURPRISGLY, THE FIRST SUALTY THAT CSA WAS THE BLACK GAY BAR DOWN THE STREET. “DGE” DID NOT MIX WH “SNOW” OPENLY, PECIALLY NOT ON BOURBON STREET. THAT WAS UNSPOKEN LAW THE GAY SUBTERRANEAN OF NEW ORLEANS THE 1970S. “DGE” WAS SLANG FOR BLACK HOMOSEXUALS, REFERENCE TO DIRT—LANGUAGE NOW PEJORATIVE AND OFFENSIVE BUT THEN NSIRED TO BE STREET-SPEAK, A C BUT MONPLACE SCRIPTOR.“SNOW,” BY NTRAST, MEANT WHE AND REFERENCED ANTIQUATED NOTNS OF PURENS AN ERA THAT EROTICIZED RACE. SUCH TERMOLOGY HAD BEEN APPROPRIATED OM NATNAL GAY CULTURE—APPEARG THROUGHOUT QUEER LERATURE SUCH AS ANDREW HOLLERAN’S DANCER OM THE DANCE AND LARRY KRAMER'S FAGGOTS—BUT GIVEN NEW NTEXT THE RACIAL DYNAMICS OF THE CREOLE SOUTH.FOR EXAMPLE, TWO BLACK LONGSHOREMEN WHO CROSSED RACIAL L TO EQUENT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, WHICH SERVED MOSTLY WORKG-CLASS WHE PATRONS ON THE BORR OF THE FRENCH QUARTER, WENT BY THE NICKNAM SMOKIE AND COA AS REFERENCE TO THEIR SK TON.BUDDY RASMSEN, THE WHE BARTENR AND MANAGER OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, WAS KNOWN TO BE PECIALLY IENDLY TO ALL ERS, EVEN LETTG WOMEN TO THE BAR AT A TIME WHEN GAYS AND LBIANS WERE STRICTLY SEPARATED.THE CREW OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE HAD AN ANTHEM THEY LIKED TO SG AT THE PIANO THAT SUMMED UP THEIR UNIQUE OUTLOOK: “UNED WE STAND, DIVID WE FALL.” SO WENT THE CHOS. SO THEY DID. THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE CULTURE HAD PROVEN SO ATTRACTIVE TO OPEN-MD GAYS, SUCH A QUEER CHANGE OF PACE FOR NEW ORLEANS, THAT RECEIVED SPECIAL MENTN BOB DAMRON’S ADDRS BOOK, AN ANNUAL TRAVEL GUI FOR THE DISCREET GAY VATNER.IN KEEPG WH DAMRON , TO PROTECT GAY TRAVELERS OM CRIMAL EXPOSURE, THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE RECEIVED “(*)” STAT TO SIGNIFY “VERY POPULAR.” IN FACT, THE UP STAIRS LOUNGE WAS SO POPULAR THAT SUMMER THAT ATTRACTED A BLACK VISOR OM ATLANTA NAMED REGALD TUBBS. ADVERTISEMENT FIREMEN GIVE FIRST AID TO SURVIVORS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE.G E ARNOLD/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK WHEN FIRE STCK THAT TEEMG BAR ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 24, 1973, WH APPROXIMATELY 90 PATRONS GATHERED FOR A SUNDAY DRK SPECIAL LLED THE “BEER BT,” MEN LIKE TUBBS WOULD BE LOST THE PANMONIUM. WH MUT, FLAM CLAIMED THE LIV OF 29 PATRONS, WH THREE OTHERS DOOMED TO AGONIZG ATHS A HOSPAL BURN WARD. IT WAS THE ADLIT FIRE ON RERD NEW ORLEANS HISTORY, YET FEW KNEW HOW TO REACT PUBLICLY TO A HOMOSEXUAL TABLISHMENT BURNG TO , MUCH LS AN TERRACIAL ONE. ‘THE RACIAL POLICS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, WERE TERRIBLE’OUTSI THE OCSNAL OASIS, BLACK AND WHE GAYS HAD MOSTLY KEPT TO THEIR OWN SPAC. “PEOPLE THK GAY IS ONE BIG LOVG FAY,” RELLED RTY DOWNG, A BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIAN. “NO, GAY IS A MICROSM OF THE REAL WORLD. PEOPLE WERE RAISED BY WHO THEY WERE RAISED BY. THEY STILL HAVE THOSE FEARS, THOSE ‘-ISMS’. THE ONLY THG WE HAVE MON IS WE LIKE THE SAME SEX.” ADVERTISEMENT NONE OF THE GAY MARDI GRAS KREW, OR ATERNAL ORRS THAT HOSTED THEATRIL MASQUE BALLS DURG CARNIVAL SEASON, HAD BLACK MEMBERSHIP THE EARLY 1970S. “THE RACIAL POLICS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, WERE TERRIBLE,” RELLED MICHAEL HICKERSON, A LIFELONG NEW ORLEANIAN WHO IS BLACK AS WELL AS GAY. “THE MAJORY OF THE BARS WERE PREDOMANTLY, IF NOT ENTIRELY, WHE GAY BARS. THERE WERE BLACK GAYS AROUND, OBVLY, BUT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR TO GET .”DISCREET WHE HOMOSEXUALS ENJOYED THE VIRTUAL N OF THE FRENCH QUARTER, WH MORE THAN 20 GAY BARS CLOSE PROXIMY. BLACK GAYS, BY NTRAST, MOSTLY EQUENTED THE FEW BLACK GAY BARS TOWN LIKE CHARLIE’S CORNER OR THE SAFARI LOUNGE, A SEND-FLOOR SALOON ON THE RNER OF IBERVILLE STREET AND ROYAL STREET.“COMG OUT AS GAY THE BLACK MUNY, YOU’RE STGGLG TO EXPLORE,” RELLED HICKERSON. “YOU’RE TRYG TO FD OUT WHERE ‘’ IS. YOU SENSE THAT ‘’ IS OUT THERE, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE ANYONE TO SHOW OR TELL YOU. SO I FOUND THE SAFARI LOUNGE ON ROYAL [STREET]... SAFARI WAS UP STAIRS, AND I VENTURED UP THERE VERY AAID.”WH THE SAFARI LOUNGE 1973, MEN LIKE HICKERSON FOUND A SALOON TEEMG WH BLACK MEN, PL BLACK MANAGERS NAMED PRISCILLA AND ROOSEVELT PORTER. PATRONS OF THE SAFARI WOULD FLIRT BENEATH THE BLARE OF LIVE MIC AND DANCE ALMOST LIP-TO-LIP. “I REMEMBER A T-SHAPED STAGE AND GEO BLACK DRAG QUEENS, QUEENS YOU NEVER SAW ELSEWHERE,” RELLED REGA ADAMS, A WHE NEW ORLEANS NIGHTCLUB PERFORMER WHO, 1973, HAD A BLACK LOVER.  THERE WOULD BE THE OCSNAL BOLDFACED “SNOW” GAY SEEKG “DGE,” AS THE TERMOLOGY WENT, AS WHE GAYS ULD CROSS CERTA BOUNDARI THAT BLACK GAYS ULDN’T. ADVERTISEMENT HICKERSON RELLED SEEG A GROUP OF WH AT THE SAFARI ONCE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU’D NEVER SEE MORE THAN ONE OR TWO BLACK PATRONS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. BUT THE SAFARI HADN’T ALWAYS BEEN A GAY BAR. WHEN OPENED 1965, THE SAFARI LOUNGE BOASTED A WILD AND EEWHEELG REPUTATN.KEN MCHELL, A BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIAN, REMEMBERS S VIBE AS BEG “KD OF SEEDY.” A PROPRIETOR NAMED HELEN WILLIAMS HOSTED JAZZ ACTS FEATURG LOL GREATS LIKE SAXOPHONIST ALV TYLER AND PIANIST ELLIS MARSALIS, AS WELL AS THEN-NTROVERSIAL DRAG PERFORMANC.BUT THE ALL-HOURS PANY ULD BE ROUGH AND ATTRACT THE THORI. POLICE REGULARLY FOUND ARMED ROBBERY SPECTS THE TABLISHMENT. IN 1968, THE NEW ORLEANS VICE SQUAD RAID THE BAR AND ARRTED A 21-YEAR-OLD WHE MALE FOR WEARG CLOTH OF THE OPPOSE GENR, AS WELL AS A BLACK UPLE FOR DANCG LEWDLY.SUBSEQUENTLY, THE OWNER HELEN WILLIAMS FACED PETNS TO SPEND THE SAFARI LOUNGE’S LIQUOR LICENSE. CLEARLY, SHE BEAT THE RAP, AS THE PARTY KEPT ON ROLLG. BY THE EARLY 1970S, THE SAFARI CROWD HAD TRANSNED OM MOSTLY STRAIGHT OR BI-CUR SWGER UPL, WHO DABBLED ALTERNATIVE SEXUALI, TO MOSTLY GAY MEN. “MORE GAY PEOPLE WOULD E, MORE STRAIGHTS WOULD LEAVE,” AS HICKERSON SCRIB THE PROCS. “BEFORE YOU KNOW , BEME A BLACK GAY BAR.”A NEW OWNER, A BLACK MAN NAMED HAY LTLETON, FORMALLY TOOK OVER THE TABLISHMENT MARCH 1973, AND HE RAN A MUCH TIGHTER SHIP. WHEN THE TIM-PIYUNE, THE LOL NEWSPAPER OF RERD, ACCURATELY REPORTED AN ARMED ROBBERY AT THE SAFARI THAT MAY, LTLETON MA SURE TO RRECT THE RERD, STATG “NO ROBBERY OCCURRED THERE… AS REPORTED BY POLICE AND PUBLISHED SATURDAY’S EDN,” TO PROTECT THE BAR’S NEW STANDG. ADVERTISEMENT MOST OF LTLETON’S GAY PATRONS WERE CLOSETED TO THEIR FAI. MANY WORE WEDDG RGS. TO LEAVE THE BAR, THEY’D N DOWN THE STAIRSE ONE BY ONE AND DUCK TO THE LEFT SO AS TO PRETEND TO EX OM THE NEARBY PLAYBOY CLUB. “THEY WOULD DRIVE BY, SEE A BLACK MAN WAG AND LEAVE HIM AT THE CURB. YOU ULD OFFER TO TIP THAT DRIVER 40 OR 50 DOLLARS, WOULDN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE” IRONILLY, THE PLAYBOY CLUB ONLY RARELY WELED THE ODD BLACK PATRON, UALLY AN OUT-OF-TOWN CELEBRY. THE PREFERRED METHOD OF EX FOR WHE GAYS—DASHG OM A GAY BAR TO AN IDLG TAXI—WASN’T AVAILABLE TO BLACK GAYS BEE BS WOULDN’T SERVE BLACK CTOMERS.“IF YOU LLED A TAXI SERVICE, A UNED CAB, FOR A BLACK CTOMER, THEY WOULD JT DRIVE OFF,” RELLED DAVID WILLIAMS, A WHE GAY NEW ORLEANIAN WHO BARTEND FRENCH QUARTER TABLISHMENTS THROUGHOUT THE 1970S AND 1980S. “THEY WOULD DRIVE BY, SEE A BLACK MAN WAG AND LEAVE HIM AT THE CURB. YOU ULD OFFER TO TIP THAT DRIVER 40 OR 50 DOLLARS, WOULDN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”JT DOWN IBERVILLE STREET, BS WOULD REGULARLY VIS THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE TO SOP UP BOISTERO PATRONS. BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN HAD VELOPED A SYSTEM WHEREBY A BBIE ON THE GROUND FLOOR ULD RG A BELL THAT SOUND THROUGHOUT HIS SEND-STORY TABLISHMENT TO NOTIFY A PATRON THAT HIS RI WAS READY TO GO.IN MANY WAYS, THE NEW SAFARI LOUNGE STOOD AS A BLACK UNTERPART TO THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE—JT A BLOCK AWAY AND UP A DIFFERENT STAIRSE. MUCH LIKE THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, THE SAFARI LOUNGE THRIVED, RECEIVG MENTN THAT YEAR’S BOB DAMRON’S ADDRS BOOKWH THE “(B)(RT),” WHICH MEANT “BLACKS FREQUENT” AND “RNCHY TYP.” ADVERTISEMENT IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, WH THIS RACIAL I, THAT “RNCHY” ULD BE REFERENCE TO THE EQUENT SE OF BIRACIAL DATG AT A TIME WHEN BLACK GAYS WHO SOUGHT WHE PARTNERS WERE SGLED OUT AS “SNOW QUEENS,” AND WHE GAYS WHO SOUGHT BLACK PARTNERS BEME KNOWN AS NEW ORLEANS “DGE QUEENS.”MOST OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE CROWD, WHE WAGE-EARNERS WHO LIVED PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, ULDN’T AFFORD TO CHALLENGE ANTI-GAY ATTUS OR RACIAL STEREOTYP PERVADG THE CY FOR FEAR OF EXPOSG THEIR SEXUALI THE PROCS.THE SAFARI CROWD, FURTHER OPPRSED BY SOUTHERN RACIAL S, WOULD FACE SWIFTER NSEQUENC IF THEY DID SPEAK UP, AND SO THEY DID NOT. THOUGH HIGHLY ACCSIBLE, HOMOSEXUALY REMAED EASILY PUNISHABLE BY STATE ANTI-SODOMY LAWS AND LOL HARASSMENT ORDANC, WHICH ULD RULT NOT JT ARRT BUT ALSO EXPULSN OM SOCIAL CLUBS AND CHURCH OR THE LOSS OF ONE’S JOB WHEN AN ARRT FOR A SEX CRIME BEME PUBLICIZED THE TIM-PIYUNE.WHAT’S MORE, BLACK GAYS OF THE ERA NTUED TO BE ISOLATED TWO-FOLD BY THE WHE GAY MUNY AND THE BLACK CHURCH MUNY. “BLACK GAYS, WE’RE CLOSE TO OUR FAI. AND WE’RE NOT GOG TO DO ANYTHG THAT WILL E SOME KD OF DISPTN OR BRG SHAME TO THE FAY, PECIALLY A FATHER” ADVERTISEMENT “WH THE BLACK MUNY, THERE WAS NO ACCEPTANCE OF GAY RIGHTS BEE OF THE BLACK CHURCH,” RELLED LARRY BAGNERIS, A BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIAN, AN TERVIEW FOR MY BOOK, TRBOX: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE UP STAIRS LOUNGE FIRE AND THE RISE OF GAY LIBERATN. YET, AS BAGNERIS NOTED WH IRONY, “THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT BEGAN THE BLACK CHURCH.”MOST BLACK GAY MEN KNEW TO NDUCT THEMSELV SO AS TO NEVER DISGRACE THEIR K. “BLACK GAYS, WE’RE CLOSE TO OUR FAI,” OPED MICHAEL HICKERSON. “AND WE’RE NOT GOG TO DO ANYTHG THAT WILL E SOME KD OF DISPTN OR BRG SHAME TO THE FAY, PECIALLY A FATHER.”PRERVG HONOR, A SUATN WHERE A ’S OR A SON’S SEXUALY WAS UNRSTOOD BUT NOT DISCSED, PEND UPON PRIVATE SECRETS NEVER BEG EXPOSED. A BLACKMAILER, WHO ULD E THE FORM OF A N ARTIST OR A FORMER LOVER OR A SPERATE IEND, ULD EXPLO THE VULNERABILI, AND HORROR STORI DID CIRCULATE.PERHAPS THAT’S WHY BLACK GAY MEN OF THE MIDDLE OR UPPER CLASS, MEN WH FORTUN TO LOSE, OFTEN AVOID THE BAR SCENE ENTIRELY THROUGH MEMBERSHIP CLANSTE SOCIAL CLUBS, WHICH HELD MEETGS PRIVATE HOM. “I REMEMBER BEG PART OF A GROUP LLED FOURTH WORLD,” RELLED KEN WILLIAMS, WHO ME OUT TO HIS FAY 1974. “IT WAS ALL GAY MEN, ALL BLACK, BUT WAS VERY LOW KEY. I MEAN, THEY DIDN’T INTIFY PUBLICLY AS GAY, OK, BUT ALL OF THE MEMBERS WERE.”OF URSE, QUEERS THROUGHOUT CRCENT CY WERE SEXUALLY CUR THROUGHOUT THE 1970S, AN ERA OF RENOWNED PROMISCUY BEFORE THE ONSET OF AIDS, AND OFTEN DATED OR CISED TERRACIALLY, PECIALLY ON THE PROWLG GROUNDS OF CY PARK OR RAMPART STREET. “IT WASN’T OUT THE OPEN,” HICKERSON OPED. “AND, WHEN DID HAPPEN, WAS THE LATE NIGHT TRICK.” ADVERTISEMENT SOME L ULD BE NEGOTIATED THROUGH A GAY BAR CULTURE N ON IENDSHIPS. “BUT STILL WAS A WHE MAN’S MUNY,” QUALIFIED HICKERSON, “A GAY WHE MAN’S MUNY.” A FEW LIGHT-SKNED BLACK GAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, ULD BE PERMTED TO “PASS” THE DAYTIME A TONY WHE SETTG LIKE CAFé LAFTE EXILE ON BOURBON STREET SO LONG AS THEY DIDN’T CLARE THEIR RACE.FOR EXAMPLE, A LIFELONG NEW ORLEANIAN NAMED JOHN WILSON, WHO WAS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS LIGHT-SKNED BLACK OR “PASSé BLANC” (A NEW ORLEANS EXPRSN APPLIED TO FRENCH CREOL OF LOR THAT TRANSLAT TO “PASSG WHE”), ULD PULL UP HIS PK CADILLAC OUTSI CAFé LAFTE EXILE AND ENTER THE TABLISHMENT WHOUT HASSLE. “I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS GETTG TO THE BARS BEE OF MY SK LOR,” SAID WILSON. “I MEAN, THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE IENDS OF ME THAT KNEW WHAT I WAS, BUT THERE WAS NO ISSUE MA OF BEE I ULD BE MISTAKEN AS WHE.” MANAGERS WRONGLY EQUATED THE APPEARANCE OF BLACK MEN LIKE WILSON WH BEG OF A NON-BLACK RACIAL BACKGROUND, ALTHOUGH WILSON HAD GROWN UP ATTENDG SEGREGATED BLACK SCHOOLS AND RIDG THE "COLORED" SECTN OF THE STREETR.“THEY HAD A SIGN ON THE DOOR AT LAFTE’S,” RELLED REGA ADAMS, “IT SAID, ‘NO BLACKS, NO FEMS, NO WOMEN.’” WHEN TOMMY HOPKS, OWNER OF CAFé LAFTE EXILE, EMED A PATRON TO BE “TOO BLACK” FOR HIS LIKG, HOPKS WOULD RAISE A HAND WH THREE FGERS EXTEND. THAT GTURE SIGNIFIED TO THE DOORMAN THAT A PATRON WOULD NEED TO PRODUCE THREE FORMS OF ID TO GA ADMTANCE.“FIRST OFF, SOMEONE WANTG YOUR ID WAS A SIGNAL,” RELLED MICHAEL HICKERSON OF A TIME WHEN RRYG INTIFITN POSED A LIABILY FOR MEN THE CLOSET. “THIS WAS THE 1970S A CY OF 24-HOUR BARS. NO ONE RRIED IDS. IF YOU EVEN HAD AN ID, TO KEEP YOU OUT, THEY’D ASK FOR TWO. THEN IF A PERSON PRENTED TWO, THEY’D ASK FOR THREE. AND MAKE MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT.” ADVERTISEMENT IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT SUATNS WHERE A MAN LIKE HICKERSON WOULD BE RD, A MAN LIKE JOHN WILSON WOULDN’T, JT AS WHEN A MAN LIKE WILSON ATTEMPTED TO DRK AT A BLACK GAY BAR LIKE THE ANNEX ON BURGUNDY STREET, HE WOULD RECEIVE DIFFERENT TREATMENT. “IF PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW ME,” RELLED WILSON OF HIS VISS TO THE ANNEX, “THEY WOULD THK I WAS CSIAN, AND I WOULD GET LOOKS.” RACIAL BARI ULD BREAK DOWN NFOUNDG WAYS THROUGHOUT THE CRCENT CY.ONLY A FEW GE TABLISHMENTS LIKE THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE WERE BRAZEN ENOUGH TO ENURAGE TERRACIAL MGLG. “IT WASN’T A PERFECT KUMBAYA,” NOTED FRANK PEREZ, LOL GAY HISTORIAN AND -THOR OF IN EXILE: THE HISTORY AND LORE SURROUNDG NEW ORLEANS GAY CULTURE AND ITS OLST GAY BAR. “BUT WAS HIGHLY UNIQUE FOR THE TIM.”FOR EXAMPLE, A BLACK FORMER JU SEMARIAN NAMED REGALD “REGGIE” ADAMS MET THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, A WHE PATRON WHO WAS THEN EXPERIMENTG WH VAR FEMALE PERSONAE, AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN HAD ENURAGED THEIR FLIRTATN AND BEME CLOSE IENDS WH THE UPLE WHEN ROMANCE BLOSSOMED. IT WAS REGGIE WHO GAVE HIS NEW LOVER THE NAME SHE WOULD E FOR THE RT OF HER LIFE: REGA.“I VISED REGGIE’S FAY DALLAS THAT JUNE AND MET HIS MOTHER,” RELLED REGA. THE UPLE PLANNED TO HAVE A NON-LEGAL NJUGATN CEREMONY, TO SIGNIFY THEIR MMENT, AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE THAT AUGT. REGA HAD EVEN DARED TO BRG REGGIE TO CAFé LAFTE EXILE. ADVERTISEMENT “HE WAS THE FIRST BLACK MAN I EVER SAW DRK LAFTE’S,” RELLED ADAMS. “AND THEY ONLY LET HIM BEE WAS WH ME. HE SAT WAY AT THE END OF THE BAR, NEXT TO THE SOUND BOOTH, WHERE PEOPLE ULDN’T SEE YOU OM THE DOOR.” ENUNTERG SUCH A PAIR AS REGGIE AND REGA, BRIDGG RACE AND GENR A MUNAL BAR SETTG, WAS AN ANOMALY.CREOLE HAD SUCCEED SQUELCHG MOST ATTEMPTS AT GAY ACTIVISM NEW ORLEANS, WHICH SPREAD TO LOUISIANA AFTER THE 1969 STONEWALL RTS. BUT CERTALY, THE GAY MARDI GRAS KREW STOOD AS A BRIGHT LIGHT OF NTRAST TO THE ATMOSPHERE OF OPPRSN.THE FOUNDG OF GAY KREW SUCH AS YUGA (1958), PETRONI (1961), AMON-RA (1965) AND ARMEI (1968) ACTUALLY PREDATED STONEWALL.“MARDI GRAS WAS THE CENTER OF THE GAY MUNY,” RELLED HICKERSON. “IF YOU BELONGED TO ONE OF THOSE ANIZATNS, THEN YOU BELONGED.” THE SEMI-CLOSETED SOCIETI HELD ANNUAL MASQUE BALLS TO PACKED DORIUMS. BUT VATNS ME REFULLY GUARD, WH REQUTS FOR “NO PICTUR PLEASE” SO AS TO PRERVE THE PRIVACY OF MEMBERSHIP.TH DID KREW ENDURE AS THE CY’S MOST POWERFUL GAY STUTNS. AMON-RA, FOR EXAMPLE, PROVED POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BE URTED BY POLICIANS LIKE HARRY CONNICK HIS 1973 N FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY. “FEW NEW ORLEANIANS WERE WILLG TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CY’S LARGE GAY SUBCULTURE THE WAKE THE FIRE” ADVERTISEMENT SO WHEN FIRE EXPLOD THROUGH THE WDOWS OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE ON JUNE 24, 1973 WHAT LOOKED LIKE AN APPARENT ACT OF ARSON, THE STRAIGHT AND GAY POPULATN OF NEW ORLEANS REACTED WH BOTH NFN AND HUIATN.JT IMAGE THE STREET GOSSIP: THE ADLIT FIRE ON RERD NEW ORLEANS HISTORY HAD STCK A GAY BAR EQUENTED BY MEN OF BOTH RAC. JOK THAT CIRCULATED AROUND THE FRENCH QUARTER SPOKE OF THE “FLAMG QUEENS” WHO’D “BURN THEIR DRS OFF.” THOUGH UPSTAIRS LOUNGE BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN HAD MERE SENDS TO BRAVELY GUI AT LEAST THIRTY PATRONS OUT AN EMERGENCY EX, THOSE TRAPPED SI LIKE RASMSEN’S LOVER ADAM FONTENOT HAD PERISHED GOMELY.“I REMEMBER THERE WERE GUYS GATHERG GAY BARS, AT LAFTE’S, AND BEME A POT OF NVERSATN FOR THE NIGHT, THIS TACLYSMIC EVENT,” SAID JOHN WILSON. A RCUE WORKER LEANS AGAST A CHARRED WDOW AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. THE WORKER WAS HELPG REMOVE THE CHARRED BODI WHEN HE APPARENTLY ULDN'T FACE ANY LONGER.PA/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK ADVERTISEMENT BUT FEW STRAIGHT NEW ORLEANIANS WERE WILLG TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CY’S LARGE GAY SUBCULTURE THE WAKE THE DISASTER. THE NOTN THAT “THE CY HAS AN ACTIVE HOMOSEXUAL MUNY WHICH DO NOT MAGILLY APPEAR AT MARDI GRAS,” AS WROTE A TIM-PIYUNE JOURNALIST, LGERED NTENTLY. WHEN FORCED TO REACT TO AN EMERGENCY EVENT, MANY LOLS ULD BARELY FD MON HUMANY WH SO-LLED “SEX CRIMALS,” MUCH LS NCERN THEMSELV WH RACIAL DISCRIMATN AMONG THOSE WHO’D PERISHED WHILE NSPIRG TO M SEX ACTS THAT THE AVERAGE AMERIN EQUATED WH RAPE. “NUNEZ SUPPOSEDLY ELUD THORI WHEN HE LEFT THAT HOSPAL AND FLED TO HIS CHILDHOOD HOME, WHERE HE TRATED EFFORTS TO RELOTE HIM SPE THE FACT THAT HIS SOCIAL SECURY ID LISTED THAT HOME ADDRS” MAJOR MOON LANDRI AND GOVERNOR EDW EDWARDS, WHE LOUISIANA DEMOCRATS WHO UNTED HEAVILY ON THE BLACK VOTE, CLED TO MAKE STATEMENTS OF SYMPATHY FOR THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE AD OR CLARE CYWI OR STATEWI DAYS OF MOURNG. THE CHIEF SPECT RODGER DALE NUNEZ, AN UPSTAIRS LOUNGE PATRON EJECTED OM THE BAR SCREAMG “I'M GONNA BURN YOU ALL OUT” MUT BEFORE THE FIRE BEGAN, LATER WOULD NFS TO A BOYIEND THAT HE L THE BLAZE OUT OF SPE. POLICE NEVER QUTNED OR ARRTED NUNEZ, THOUGH HE WAS AT ONE POT TAKEN TO POLICE CTODY AND THEN LEFT WHOUT GUARD AT A LOL HOSPAL. NUNEZ SUPPOSEDLY ELUD THORI WHEN HE LEFT THAT HOSPAL AND FLED TO HIS CHILDHOOD HOME, WHERE HE TRATED EFFORTS TO RELOTE HIM SPE THE FACT THAT HIS SOCIAL SECURY ID LISTED THAT HOME ADDRS. HE WOULD LATER TAKE HIS OWN LIFE. ADVERTISEMENT THE GAY MARDI GRAS KREW, URTED BY POWERFUL POLICIANS, MA NO STATEMENTS TO THE PRS ABOUT IENDS AND ACQUATANC WHO’D PERISHED; NOT EVEN THEIR LEARSHIP ULD RISK SUCH OPENNS. OWNERS OF LOL GAY BARS GREW CENSED WHEN CROWDS DROPPED “ONE-THIRD TO ONE-HALF” OF THEIR UAL SIZE, ACRDG TO A LOL NEWSPAPER LLED THE VIX CARRE COURIER, AND DISURAGED TALK OF RECENT ATHS. IT’S WORTH QUTNG WHETHER MEN LIKE CAFé LAFTE EXILE OWNER TOMMY HOPKS, WHOSE BAR HAD BEEN VISED BY UPSTAIRS LOUNGE PATRON REGGIE ADAMS WEEKS BEFORE, WAS MA BTER OR LS SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS THE STCTN OF A PETOR BAR WHOSE RACIAL ATTUS HAD AFFECTED HIS OWN.FRONT-PAGE STORI ON THE FIRE THE TIM-PIYUNE THE NEXT DAY DIDN’T E THE WORD “HOMOSEXUAL” OR “GAY” TO SCRIBE THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE PATRONS. MOST NEWSPAPER EDORS POLICED AND CENSORED THE WORD “GAY,” THIS ERA, BEE EQUATED HAPPS WH AN ILLEGAL LIFTYLE. THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY, NEW ORLEANS’ BLACK NEWSPAPER, WROTE, “IT IS NOT KNOW IF ANY OF THE VICTIMS ARE BLACK, BUT A NUMBER OF BLACK PATRONS HAD BEEN KNOWN TO EQUENT THE BAR LLED ‘THE UPSTAIRS.’” UNSURPRISGLY, NO FOLLOW-UP STORI APPEARED THE PAG OF THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY, MUCH LS NATNAL BLACK PUBLITNS LIKE THE CHIGO DAILY DEFENR.UPSTAIRS LOUNGE OWNER PHIL ESTEVE, A WHE GAY NEW ORLEANIAN, STOOD THE ASH OF HIS BAR THAT TUDAY, TWO DAYS AFTER THE FIRE, AND CRICIZED ATTEMPTS BY NATNAL GAY LEARS TO TURN THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE FIRE TO A POLIL LL FOR GAY LIBERATN AND THE AD TO MARTYRS. ADVERTISEMENT “THIS FIRE HAD VERY LTLE TO DO WH THE GAY MOVEMENT OR WH ANYTHG GAY,” ESTEVE SISTED TO THE PHILALPHIA INQUIRER. “I DO NOT WANT MY BAR OR THIS TRAGEDY TO BE ED TO FURTHER ANY OF THEIR ,” HE NTUED. ESTEVE, SILENT AS THE RONER STGGLED TO INTIFY FIRE VICTIMS AND AS FAI STGGLED TO RECEIVE RELIG FUNERALS FOR THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VICTIMS, LLECTED AT LEAST $25,000 FIRE SURANCE AFTER THE BLAZE. HE ED THAT MONEY TO OPEN ANOTHER GAY BAR WH THE YEAR LLED THE POST OFFICE. “I REMEMBER MY MOM SAYG TO ME ON THE PHONE, WHEN SHE WAS TELLG ME THIS AWFUL STORY, ‘BUT THE WERE PEOPLE THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN TREATED THAT WAY,’ WHICH WAS ENURAGEMENT TO ME TO E OUT” ONE SMALL NOTE OF PERSONAL REPRIEVE ME FOR BAGNERIS, WHO WAS CLOSETED TO HIS FAY AND OUT OF TOWN AT THE TIME OF THE TRAGEDY.BAGNERIS’ MOTHER WAS MA MORE OPEN AND ACCEPTG BY THE FIRE. “I REMEMBER MY MOM SAYG TO ME ON THE PHONE,” BAGNERIS RELLED AN TERVIEW FOR TRBOX, “WHEN SHE WAS TELLG ME THIS AWFUL STORY, ‘BUT THE WERE PEOPLE THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN TREATED THAT WAY,’ WHICH WAS ENURAGEMENT TO ME TO E OUT [TO HER].”TRAGILLY, REGGIE ADAMS WOULD BE TENTATIVELY INTIFIED AMONG THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE AD BY THAT WEDNDAY, JUNE 27. ADVERTISEMENT REGA, REGGIE’S LOVER, HAD NOT SEEN REGGIE SCE SHE LEFT HIM NEAR THE BAR’S GRAND PIANO ON THE NIGHT OF THE BLAZE. REGA REMEMBERED NEEDG TO DASH TO THEIR NEARBY APARTMENT TO GET A CHECKBOOK FOR A IEND’S BIRTHDAY DNER.EVER GENTEEL, REGGIE HAD OFFERED TO N THE ERRAND HIMSELF, BUT HE’D ONLY JT STARTED A STCH AND SODA SERVED BY BUDDY RASMSEN OR HIS BBOY RTY QUTON, AND REGA HAD SISTED THAT HE STAY PUT. THEY’D PECKED AND PARTED WH “I LOVE YOU,” AND SHE’D N DOWN THE STAIRSE.REGA WAS GONE FOR LS THAN 20 MUT, DURG WHICH TIME SOMEONE L A FIRE THAT VERY STAIRWELL. THE TAXI BUZZER RANG SI THE BAR, AND FLAM EXPLOD A FIREBALL THAT CLEAVED FORTY-FOUR FEET ACROSS THE ROOM WHEN SOMEONE OPENED THE DOOR TO CHECK DOWNSTAIRS. FIRE MET OXYGEN AND FUEL. LAMBENT FLAM PNED REGGIE’S BODY BY THE FAR WDOWS, WHICH HAD BEEN SEALED WH IRON BARS AS A SAFETY MEASURE APPROVED BY FIRE SPECTORS. HE DIED OF THIRD AND FOURTH GREE BURNS ACROSS 95 PERCENT OF HIS BODY SURFACE, ACRDG TO THE RONER’S REPORT.MUT LATER, REGA WALKED THE FAL BLOCK DOWN IBERVILLE STREET AND WNSED THE FERNO HERSELF. IN AN ALMOST OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE, SHE SEARCHED FOR REGGIE AMONG THE TEEMG CROWDS OF GAWKERS AND SPECTATORS AS FIREFIGHTERS DOED THE FLAM. SHE SCREAMED HIS NAME.REGA WENT TO CHARY HOSPAL WHEN SHE ULDN’T FD HIM AMONG THE SURVIVORS, BUT SHE DIDN’T VENTURED DOWN TO THE MUE TO HELP INTIFY REGGIE’S BODY BEE, HER WORDS, “THERE WAS NOTHG LEFT TO ID.” ADVERTISEMENT FLAM WERE HOT ENOUGH TO CHAR MUCH OF REGGIE’S EXTERNAL SK TISSUE, WHICH LIKELY LED TO VTIGATORS MISTAKENLY INTIFYG HIM AS “AN ADULT WHE MALE” A WRTEN REPORT, BUT THE RONER DID ULTIMATELY MARK HIS BODY AS “N,” SHORTHAND FOR THE 1970S LEGAL TERM “NEGRO.” THE RONER EVENTUALLY NFIRMED HIS ATH G NTAL RERDS.“IN AUGT, HIS MOTHER ME TOWN TO PICK UP HIS BODY, AND THAT’S THE LAST I EVER SAW OF ANY OF THEM,” RELLED REGA. “INSTEAD OF G FOR A WEDDG, SHE ME TO BURY HIM.” REGGIE’S WAKE WOULD BE HELD DALLAS AT 11 A.M. ON A RANDOM WEDNDAY. REGA DID NOT ATTEND.THROUGHOUT HER ORAL, MT BE NOTED, NONE OF NEW ORLEANS’ BLACK CHURCH OR CIVIL RIGHTS ANIZATNS ME TO HER AID. LIKEWISE, NONE OF THE LOL BLACK NEWSPAPERS WROTE REGALD ADAMS AN OBUARY OR NDUCTED AN QUIRY TO HIS ATH AND THE SUBSEQUENT POLICE VTIGATN, WHICH NAMED NO CULPR SPE THE EMERGENCE OF A CHIEF ARSON SPECT. THE CY’S HUMAN RELATNS COMMISSN, TASKED TO HANDLE CIVIL RIGHTS MATTERS, DID NOT QUIRE ABOUT REGALD ADAMS SPE THE FACT THAT HALF OF THE MTEE WAS BLACK.FURTHERMORE, WHEN NEW ORLEANS POLICE LISTED ANOTHER POSSIBLE BLACK VICTIM “POSSIBLY AD AS A RULT OF THE FIRE,” A MAN NAMED REGALD TUBBS VISG OM ATLANTA, NO LEAR OF THE LOL BLACK MUNY ADOPTED HIS E.AFTERWARDS, WHEN POLICE ELIMATED TUBBS AS A NDIDATE, ONLY FEW MEMBERS OF THE LOL METROPOLAN COMMUNY CHURCH, A GAY-IENDLY NGREGATN THAT LOST ONE-THIRD OF S MEMBERSHIP TO THE FIRE, NTUED TO PUBLICLY SIST ON TUBBS’ PRENCE AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. ADVERTISEMENT BOTH THORI AND THE MASTREAM PRS IGNORED THE VOIC, AS HOMOSEXUAL CHRISTIANS WERE THEN NSIRED TO BE A CRIMAL ELEMENT BEYOND THE BODY POLIC.  TH, WHEN THE LAST THREE BODI OM THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, LABELED AS UNINTIFIED #18, #23 AND #28, BEME TRANSFERRED TO CY CTODY BY JULY 31, NO ONE THE WHE OR BLACK HETEROSEXUAL POWER STCTUR STEPPED FORWARD TO PREVENT THEIR BEG TERRED WHOUT MARKERS A REMOTE POTTER’S FIELD. “THE INTI OF THE FAL THREE UP STAIRS LOUNGE VICTIMS, AND THE PRENCE OF REGALD TUBBS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE ACRDG TO WNS, REMA PUZZLG QUTN MARKS S LATER” WHEN THE METROPOLAN COMMUNY CHURCH ATTEMPTED TO TAKE RPONSIBILY FOR THE BODI A LAST MUTE APPEAL, THE NEW ORLEANS CY ATTORNEY NIED THEIR CLAIM. ONE INTIFIED FIRE VICTIM, A WHE WORLD WAR II VETERAN NAMED FERRIS LEBLANC, RECEIVED BURIAL BI THE UNINTIFIED BEE THORI ULDN’T EASILY LOTE HIS FAY, WHO RID CALIFORNIA.THE INTI OF THE FAL THREE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VICTIMS, AND THE PRENCE OF REGALD TUBBS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE ACRDG TO WNS, REMA PUZZLG QUTN MARKS S LATER.ALL THE WHILE, THE LOUISIANA STATE FIRE MARSHAL LED THE NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT ON A CRACKDOWN OF FIRE VLATNS AND AROUND THE FRENCH QUARTER. BUT NO ONE RAISED ALARMS WHEN THORI SPECIFILLY TARGETED THE SAFARI LOUNGE THEIR CSA. ADVERTISEMENT INED, FIRE SPECTORS ORRED THE SAFARI LOUNGE, SCRIBED BY THE TIM-PIYUNE AS “A SEND-STORY WALK UP SIAR TO THE ILL-FATED UPSTAIRS BAR,” CLOSED IMMEDIATELY SPE OWNER HAY LTLETON’S SISTENCE THAT THE BAR HAD NO PREV VLATNS. FIREMEN AND RCUE WORKERS LOOK UP AT THE BURNED-OUT UPSTAIRS LOUNGE.BETTMANN THE BAR, SHUTTERED BY THAT THURSDAY, JUNE 28, WOULD NEVER REOPEN AS A BLACK GAY OASIS OR A VENUE FOR BLACK DRAG AND NEVER APPEARED AGA THE PAG OF A NEW ORLEANS PHONE BOOK. “NO BLACK MAN WANTED TO BE OUTED,” EXPLAED HICKERSON. “SO YOU ULD JT DO SOMETHG LIKE THAT, AND NO ONE WOULD SAY ANYTHG. WE’D JT GO SOMEWHERE ELSE… UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THEY CLOSE DOWN THE BLACK GAY BAR, YOU N’T GO TO THE WHE ON EHER.” TH DID ONE FIRE SUCCEED MAKG TWO GAY BAR CULTUR VANISH ON THE SAME CY STREET.NATNAL GAY ACTIVISTS LIKE TROY PERRY AND MORRIS KIGHT, WHO TRAVELED TO NEW ORLEANS THE WEEK FOLLOWG THE FIRE TO HOLD MEMORIALS AND BEG FUNDRAISG EFFORTS FOR THE VICTIMS, WERE TOO PREOCCUPIED WH VISG HOSPALS AND BATTLG THE IRE OF BAR OWNERS LIKE PHIL ESTEVE AND TOMMY HOPKS TO GRASP RACIAL NUANCE OR OBSERVE A BLATANT ACT OF PREDATN ON THE SAFARI LOUNGE, THE ONLY BAR SHUTTERED STANTLY THE FIRE SPECTN MPAIGN.IN THIS ERA, SEEMS, THE BLACK, GAY AND BLACK GAY MUNI WERE SO ISOLATED OM EACH OTHER THAT THEY FAILED TO SEE MON PLIGHT OR E TO EACH OTHER'S FENS. DIVID, THEY OFTEN FELL.THE ADVOTE, THE LEGENDARY GAY NEWS MAGAZE PUBLISHG NEWS OF THE NEW ORLEANS FIRE OM LOS ANGEL, GOT THE STORY OF THE SAFARI LOUNGE WRONG ENTIRELY. ADVERTISEMENT “ANOTHER SEND FLOOR BAR ON IBERVILLE, A BLOCK OM THE UPSTAIRS, THE SAFARI LOUNGE, WAS CLOSED BY THE FIRE PREVENTN BURE THE WAKE OF THE UPSTAIRS FOR ALLEGED FIRE VLATNS,” REPORTED THE PAPER. “THE SAFARI IS NOT GAY.”IT TOOK THE PHILALPHIA INQUIRER, AN ULTRALIBERAL EAST COAST NEWSPAPER, SENDG S OWN REPORTER TO THE BIG EASY FOR A FEW DAYS TO ACCINTALLY STUMBLE UPON THE SAFARI AND INTIFY AS “A PREDOMANTLY BLACK GAY BAR.”SOME PATRONS OM THE SAFARI LOUNGE EVENTUALLY MIGRATED TO A CLUB ABUTTG THE HIGHWAY LLED TUCKY’S DOME, WHICH THEY SLOWLY NVERTED TO A BLACK GAY DIS. “AT TUCKY’S DOME, THEY WOULD EVEN PLAY SLOW RERDS, AND GUYS WOULD SLOW DANCE WH EACH OTHER,” RELLED KEN MCHELL WH FONDNS. “IT WAS FUCKG FABULO,” RELLED HICKERSON. “FABULO. I REMEMBER SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE AD WHO ED TO EQUENT THAT BAR… THEY WERE DANCG OM THE CEILG.”  REGA ENTERED A PROLONGED STATE OF MOURNG AS SHE LAID OUT REGGIE’S CLOTHG ON THEIR BED EACH MORNG. BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN, MOURNG THE LOSS OF A LOVER NAMED ADAM FONTENOT, ALSO DISAPPEARED OM THE PUBLIC VIEW FOR A SPAN OF WEEKS.BUT REGA AND RASMSEN EVENTUALLY DID REEMERGE TO GAY LIFE. REGA BEME A CELEBRATED NIGHTCLUB ACT, AND RASMSEN TEND BAR AT THE POST OFFICE, FORMER UPSTAIRS LOUNGE OWNER PHIL ESTEVE’S NEW TABLISHMENT. RASMSEN EMBRACED HIS MEMBERSHIP THE KREWE OF AMON-RA AND TOOK REFUGE THE ANNUAL REVELRY OF GAY MARDI GRAS. ADVERTISEMENT TALK OF THE ADLY BLAZE DISSIPATED, AND THE CY MOVED ON. INVTIGATNS CLOSED WHOUT ANSWERS AND REMA OFFICIALLY UNSOLVED. ‘I REALLY THK THAT BLACK & WHE MEN TOGETHER HELPED GET RID OF THAT NEGATIVE TERMOLOGY’IN 1974, JOHN WILSON ED HIS “PASSé BLANC” STAT TO VERTLY TEGRATE THE GAY KREWE OF OLYMP, WHICH MA HIM THE FIRST BLACK MEMBER OF A GAY MARDI GRAS ANIZATN NEW ORLEANS. “SOME KNEW WHAT I WAS,” SISTED WILSON, “BUT THOSE WHO DID NEVER VERBALIZED WHAT THEY KNEW.” WILSON ALSO KNEW BETTER THAN TO VERBALIZE HIS POT OF DIFFERENCE, WHICH WOULD MAKE HIS RACE A VEXG ISSUE.  WILSON, WHO HAD A BODYBUILR PHYSIQUE, WAS EQUENTLY ASKED TO BE A “PAGE,” OR SNTILY CLAD RT FOR DRAG QUEENS, AT GAY AMON-RA MARDI GRAS BALLS THROUGHOUT THE 1970S. “I HAD A 28-CH WAIST AND A 38-CH CHT, SO THEY LIKED THAT,” WILSON EXPLAED WH A LGH. ADVERTISEMENT “I HAD THE APPEARANCE OF BEG WHE,” HE NTUED, “AND THEREFORE THEY DIDN’T THK WAS GOG TO BE A PROBLEM WH THE VENUE OR PEOPLE WHO WOULD ATTEND THE BALLS OR THEIR FUNDRAISG EVENTS.” BUT WILSON NEVER FULLY TTED THE LIMS OF HIS SE BY TRYG TO BEE AN AMON-RA MEMBER. IN THE EARLY 1980S, REGA LEGALLY CHANGED HER NAME TO REGA ADAMS, TAKG REGGIE’S SURNAME TO HONOR THE MAN SHE ONCE WANTED TO MARRY. AROUND HER, THROUGHOUT NEW ORLEANS, GAY RACIAL ATTUS WERE SLOWLY EVOLVG. BY 1982, LOLS FOUND A NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER OF BLACK & WHE MEN TOGETHER (BWMT), A NATNAL ANIZATN THAT PROVID BOTH A VENUE AND SUPPORT GROUP FOR GAY MEN TERTED TERRACIAL DATG.“THERE WERE STILL THGS LIKE ‘DGE QUEENS,’” RELLED HICKERSON. “BUT I REALLY THK THAT BLACK & WHE MEN TOGETHER HELPED GET RID OF THAT NEGATIVE TERMOLOGY.” RTY DOWNG ATTEND BWMT MEETGS, WHICH HE LLED “STCH AND BCH” SSNS WHERE WORDS LIKE “SNOW QUEEN” WOULD BE ED WH HUMOR, SO AS TO MYSTIFY TERRACIAL URTSHIP. “I BEME THEIR FACE THE GAY MUNY. I UNRSTOOD THAT. BUT I ALSO UNRSTOOD HOW I WAS OPENG UP DOORS AND MAKG A TY B OF DIFFERENCE BY PUTTG BLACK PEOPLE ON THE FOREONT” HICKERSON JOED THE LOUISIANA GAY POLIL ACTN COMMTEE, LLED LAGPAC FOR SHORT, TO ADVANCE GAY POLICS THE STATE.“YOU KNOW, POLICS IS ONE OF THOSE THGS WHERE THEY E YOU, AND YOU E THEM,” HE RELLED. “I BEME THEIR FACE THE GAY MUNY. I UNRSTOOD THAT. BUT I ALSO UNRSTOOD HOW I WAS OPENG UP DOORS AND MAKG A TY B OF DIFFERENCE BY PUTTG BLACK PEOPLE ON THE FOREONT.” ADVERTISEMENT YET WHEN LAGPAC TOOK UP A VOTE 1982 TO SUPPORT A LOL NEWSPAPER AD THAT CRICIZED THE “HARASSMENT AND HUIATN OUR FELLOW [BLACK] GAY MEN AND WOMEN SUFFER AS THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS ARE VLATED THE DOORWAY OF THE GAY BAR” AND MAND “A STAND ON THIS ISSUE,” THE PREDOMANTLY WHE MALE BOARD VOTED DOWN THE MEASURE.NOT CINTALLY, LAGPAC’S PRIMARY FANCIAL SPONSORS HAPPENED TO BE THE OWNERS OF THE WHE GAY BARS MATAG THE RACIAL POLICI. SO WENT WH HALF-MEASUR.THAT YEAR, MICHAEL HICKERSON FORMED THE KREWE OF POLYPHEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF HAVG ONE GAY MARDI GRAS KREWE TOWN THAT EXPLICLY ACCEPTED BLACK MEMBERS. KEN MCHELL JOED LAGPAC TO CHANNEL HIS FEELGS OF ANGER AND RENTMENT NSTCTIVELY. “IT WAS A STRONG ANIZATN, LOTS OF PARTICIPATN,” RELLED MCHELL. “THE ONLY LACK OF PARTICIPATN WAS OM MORI, AIN AMERINS AND LATOS. AND WE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHY, BRASTORMG, AND WE ME UP WH THE IA THAT WE’D DO BETTER SEPARATELY BEE THERE WAS A LOT OF TST ISSU BETWEEN THE MUNI.” “A LOT OF BLACK GAYS—PECIALLY DURG THE 80S WHEN THE RACISM WAS MORE OVERT, WHEN MUNI WERE FIGHTG FOR GAY RIGHTS—SAID, ‘I’M GOG TO FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, NOT GAY RIGHTS, BEE THE GAYS HAVE SHOWN ME NO DIFFERENCE’” SO BIRTHED THE BLACK GAY ADVOCY ANIZATN LANGSTON JON, ALONG WH A BIMONTHLY DISCSN GROUP FOR BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIANS LLED MAN TALK. ADVERTISEMENT “A LOT OF BLACK GAYS—PECIALLY DURG THE '80S WHEN THE RACISM WAS MORE OVERT, WHEN MUNI WERE FIGHTG FOR GAY RIGHTS—SAID, ‘I’M GOG TO FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, NOT GAY RIGHTS, BEE THE GAYS HAVE SHOWN ME NO DIFFERENCE,’” RELLED RTY DOWNG. MANY GAY BLACK MEN WHO FOUGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, HOWEVER, DID NOT ACHIEVE EQUAL STAT WH STRAIGHT BLACK MEN WHEN CERTA HURDL FELL BACK. FOR EXAMPLE, ERNT “DUTCH” MORIAL, THE FIRST BLACK MAYOR NEW ORLEANS HISTORY, PUBLICLY SUPPORTED THOSE WH HIV DURG THE HEIGHT OF 1980S AIDS HYSTERIA BUT ALSO REFED TO ENDORSE LAGPAC’S MPAIGN FOR AN ANTI-DISCRIMATN ORDANCE PROTECTG HOMOSEXUALS THE CY.  IN 1984, HICKERSON BROKE A LOR BARRIER WHEN BEME THE FIRST BLACK MEMBER OF THE QUEER KREWE OF AMON-RA. IT’S UNKNOWN IF THERE WERE HIDN “PASSé BLANC” MEMBERS OF AMON-RA BEFORE, BUT HICKERSON’S APPEARANCE MA HIS RACE UNQUTNABLE. RASMSEN, PRENT AT AMON-RA SH AND IATN MEETGS, WAS STMENTAL VOTG HICKERSON TO THE GROUP.“THE NIGHT I GOT TO THE ANIZATN, THERE WERE SOME WH WHO DIDN’T,” HICKERSON RELLED. AS A RULT, SEVERAL AMON-RA MEMBERS QU THE ANIZATN. THEIR FLIGHT IS DIRECTLY VALIDATED BY 1984 AMON-RA PTA MIKHAEL ERIKSON, WHO SAID, “I’M SURE HAPPENED,” AND PARTIALLY VALIDATED BY JOHN EAST, A MEMBER SCE 1979, WHO RELLED, “I DO KNOW THERE WAS A B NTROVERSY; ANY MEMBERS THAT WERE VOLVED THAT ARE ALL EHER CEASED, MOVED AWAY OR NO LONGER MEMBERS.”REGARDLS, HICKERSON IS CERTA THAT HIS RACE WAS THE POT OF DISTRS. “I WAS GAY, SO THAT WASN’T THE ISSUE,” SAID HICKERSON. “I WAS A MALE, SO THAT WASN’T THE ISSUE. THE ONLY THG THAT SEPARATED ME OM THEM WAS MY SK LOR.” OVER TIME, HICKERSON ENUNTERED GROWG NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TRYG TO UNTER OR SOFTEN HIS MEMORI. “PEOPLE LIKE TO REMEMBER THEIR WAY, THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN,” SISTED HICKERSON. “BUT DID.” ADVERTISEMENT BUDDY RASMSEN REIGNED AS QUEEN OF THE 1985 AMON-RA BALL WH FULL DRAG PAGEANTRY. CURTAS OPENED, AND HE EMERGED A SCEPTER AND CROWN AND SEQUED GOWN ATTACHED TO LOSSAL BUTTERFLY WGS THAT EXPAND THE WIDTH OF AN DORIUM STAGE RISER.BUT THOUGH HE HELD A VETED CEREMONIAL ROLE THAT YEAR, WH EVERY REASON TO BASK HIS MOMENT, RASMSEN HELPED HICKERSON ACHIEVE NOTORIETY WH A STUME BASED AROUND THE TABLEX THEME OF CHERRI JUBILEE, THE POPULAR SERT. AS CHERRI JUBILEE, WEARG A VERABLE SET PIECE MA OM AN VERTED CHILD’S BABY POOL VERED WHE FOAM AND RED BBER DOTS, HICKERSON MA HIS AMON-RA BALL PREMIERE AND WON SEVERAL VETED MARDI GRAS STUME AWARDS. “HE WAS STUNNG DRAG,” RELLED JOHN EAST. “HE LOOKED LIKE DIANA ROSS.”AFTERWARDS, DISCRIMATORY DOOR POLICI ULDN’T KEEP MEN LIKE DOWNG OR HICKERSON OR MCHELL OUT OF THE BOURBON STREET GAY SCENE. “I WAS DANCG ON THE BAR BY THEN,” HICKERSON SAID. MORE BLACK GAY BARS FLOURISHED AT A REMOVE OM THE BOURBON STREET STRIP LIKE WOLFENDAL ON RAMPART STREET.HICKERSON SERVED AS GRAND MARSHALL OF THE 1985 GAY SOUTHERN DENCE PARA AND BEME THE VERABLE TOAST OF THE FRENCH QUARTER WH HIS MEMORABLE NICKNAME FISH (A REFERENCE TO A THEN-MON TERM FOR BLACK WOMEN NOW KNOWN TO BE MISOGYNISTIC). “THERE WERE BLACK QUEENS WHO WERE WELE EVERY CIRCLE AND EVERY DOOR NO MATTER WHERE THEY WENT, AND ‘FISH’ WAS ONE OF THEM,” RELLED DAVID WILLIAMS. “RTY DOWNG, TOO. BUT THE GENERAL BLACK POPULATN, LS SO.”NEGATIVE TERMOLOGY FOR BLACK GAYS STILL DID CIRCULATE AMONG WHE GAYS, PECIALLY WHEN BLACK GAYS WEREN’T PRENT. “WHE QUEENS, TRASHY WHE QUEENS WOULD STILL E THE N-WORD,” RELLED DAVID WILLIAMS. “COMMONPLACE. BUT ‘DGE’ WAS OLD BY THEN, NEGATIVE. YOU FIGURE OUT THE IRONY THERE.” ADVERTISEMENT HARR TO P-DOWN RACIAL QUOTAS REPLACED DISCRIMATORY DOOR POLICI AT GAY BARS, WHICH KEPT OVERALL BAR CROWDS OM GETTG WHAT OWNERS STILL RECKONED AS BEG “TOO BLACK” OR, AS RTY DOWNG SCRIBED HEARG THE TERMOLOGY, “TOO ETHNIC LOOKG.”TO ADD PLEXY, MANY OF THE DOORMEN ENFORCG THE QUOTAS WERE NON-WHE THEMSELV. TO AVOID BLOWBACK, GAY BARS LIKE LE BISTRO HOSTED THE OCSNAL THREE-FOR-ONE DRK NIGHT (RMALLY LLED “BLACK NIGHT”), WHERE QUOTAS WENT OUT THE WDOW, AND BLACK GAYS LED BOURBON STREET FOR AN EVENG.IN 1990, LARRY BAGNERIS RAN FOR NEW ORLEANS CY COUNCIL. HE BEAT 16 OTHER NDIDAT TO FORCE A N-OFF ELECTN FOR THE DISTRICT C SEAT, WHICH HE LOST. HAD HE WON, HE WOULD HAVE BEE NEW ORLEANS’ FIRST OPENLY GAY ELECTED OFFICIAL. INSTEAD, 1999, HE RECEIVED APPOTMENT AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW ORLEANS HUMAN RELATNS COMMISSN, OVERSEEG ALL CIVIL RIGHTS MATTERS CYWI.BY 2004, HICKERSON ACHIEVED ENOUGH CLOUT TO BEE THE FIRST BLACK QUEEN OF AMON-RA THE ANIZATN’S 39-YEAR HISTORY. EXHSTED, YET SATISFIED THAT HE MA HIS MARK, HE QU SOON AFTERWARDS. THIS YEAR, GABRIEL MCHELL FOLLOWED HICKERSON’S LEAD AS QUEEN OF AMON-RA FOR MARDI GRAS 2019. “I WASN’T SURE IF I WAS THE FIRST BLACK QUEEN OR IF WE’D HAD OTHER ON BEFORE,” SAID MCHELL, A THIRD-YEAR MEMBER CENTRAL TO THE KREWE’S FUTURE PLANS BUT STILL LEARNG S LEAGE. WHEN MCHELL EMERGED ON STAGE A PK AND PURPLE GOWN WH A RADIATG TAIL OF PEACK FEATHERS, A SEA OF FLASHBULBS ILLUMATED HIS SE, BUT HIS PARENTS WERE NOT THE CROWD. MCHELL’S SEXUALY, MUCH LS HIS PARTICIPATN DRAG PAGEANTRY, REMAS A LITE SUBJECT. “I ACTUALLY DIDN’T GIVE THEM AN VE BEE I DIDN’T WANT THERE TO BE ANY DRAMA,” SAID MCHELL. “AND I ALSO THK I DIDN’T WANT THE REJECTN.”AS THE FIRST-BORN SON OF A RELIG HOEHOLD OM SULPHUR, LA, MCHELL, AT 34 YEARS OLD, NTU TO BE SUBJECT TO “BIBLIL EXPECTATNS” IMPOSED BY FAY MEMBERS, WHO OTHERWISE LOVE AND FEND HIM FIERCELY. “MY DAD STILL HARBORS THIS IA THAT MAYBE ONE DAY I N GET MARRIED AND GIVE HIM A GRANDCHILD LIKE MY TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS, WHO’VE BOTH HAD CHILDREN,” HE EXPLAED. “I THK THAT’S PROBABLY HIS ONE DREAM, THE ONE THG HE MAYBE NEVER GETS.” ADVERTISEMENT A PART OF MCHELL BELIEV THAT HE MISSED OUT BY NOT HAVG HIS PARENTS SHARE HIS CROWNG MOMENT, BUT HE HASN’T CID IF HE’S GOG TO VE THEM TO THE BALL NEXT YEAR.SIARLY, QUEER TEENAGERS OF LOR THROUGHOUT NEW ORLEANS OFTEN REMA HEDGED BY RELIG OR CULTURAL NVENTNS THAT DO NOT AFFECT THEIR WHE GAY PEERS. FOR EXAMPLE, BEN ZERVIGON, WHO AT 18 YEARS OLD IS THE YOUNGT MEMBER OF THE GAY KREWE OF ARMEI, STANDS ON THE VANGUARD OF QUEERNS AS A WHE HIGH SCHOOL SENR—OUT TO HIS FAY AND GREATER NEW ORLEANS. (FULL DISCLOSURE: MY HBAND RYAN LENER HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF ARMEI SCE OCTOBER 2018.) “I’VE BEEN QUIETLY THANKFUL MANY TIM TO BE THE FAY I’M ,” WROTE ZERVIGON A RECENT FACEBOOK DIRECT MSAGE. BUT HE NNOT IGNORE THE DISPARI MA APPARENT BY HIS OPENNS. SEVERAL OF ZERVIGON’S CLOSE IENDS ARE BLACK TEENS WHO PLAN TO BE CLOSETED UNTIL LLEGE DUE TO RELIG PRSUR.“MANY DON’T FACE PHYSIL VLENCE OF ANY KD BUT DO FACE [THE PROSPECT OF] BEG BLACKLISTED BY THE MUNY AND DISOWNED BY THEIR FAI,” HE EXPLAED. ZERVIGON FEELS THAT WILL TAKE MORE GENERATNS TO ERADITE SUCH UNEVEN PROGRS. ADVERTISEMENT ‘THEIR GOAL WAS TO LOTE LEBLANC’S REMAS THE REMOTE POTTER’S FIELD’RECENTLY, THE CY OF NEW ORLEANS’ STANCE TOWARDS THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE LEGACY HAS ADVANCED OM ARM’S-LENGTH TO A MORE OPEN EMBRACE. IN JUNE 2018, AT A MEMORIAL OBSERVANCE FOR THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGEDY, LATOYA CANTRELL, THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE MAYOR NEW ORLEANS HISTORY, WALKED DOWN THE CENTER AISLE OF A FRENCH QUARTER CHURCH AND REGNIZED THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE AS PART OF THE CY’S STORY. SCE THAT TIME, MAYOR CANTRELL’S OFFICE MISSNED A TASK FORCE TO WORK WH THE FAY OF UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VICTIM FERRIS LEBLANC. THEIR GOAL WAS TO LOTE LEBLANC’S REMAS THE REMOTE POTTER’S FIELD LLED RTHAVEN CEMETERY, WHERE HE WAS BURIED ALONGSI THE THREE UNINTIFIED FIRE VICTIMS, AND HELP THE FAY BRG HIM HOME TO CALIFORNIA. “AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE EXHSTED OUR CURRENT AVENU. WE REMA ACTIVELY ENGAGED AND READY TO BRG ALL AVAILABLE ROURC TO BEAR IF NEW RMATN PRENTS SELF” “OUR OFFICE NVENED A SMALL TEAM AND THEY HAVE BEEN WORKG HARD TO HELP THE FAY GET ANSWERS AND PURSUE MULTIPLE L OF QUIRY THE SEARCH FOR THEIR LOVED ONE,” WROTE VCENZO PASQUANTON, DIRECTOR OF THE NEW ORLEANS OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUY, A RECENT EMAIL. “AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE EXHSTED OUR CURRENT AVENU. WE REMA ACTIVELY ENGAGED AND READY TO BRG ALL AVAILABLE ROURC TO BEAR IF NEW RMATN PRENTS SELF.” ADVERTISEMENT SEVERAL NDIDAT FOR THE UNINTIFIED FIRE VICTIMS, SUCH AS LARRY FROST AND REGALD TUBBS, HAVE EMERGED THROUGH RECENT SCHOLARSHIP. UNFORTUNATELY, AT PRENT, CEMETERY RERDS LOST TERVENG S HAMPER THE ABILY TO EXHUME LEBLANC’S BODY OM HIS UNMARKED PLOT OR TO PARE ANY UNINTIFIED REMAS WH DNA OM POTENTIAL FAI SEEKG CLOSURE. THE LOUISIANA STATE FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE, LIKEWISE, STEPPED FORWARD TO REGNIZE THE 1973 FIRE AS PART OF THEIR AGENCY’S HISTORY. TREVOR SANTOS, A SENR PUTY FIRE MARSHAL WHO IS ALSO THE FIRST OPENLY GAY OFFICER TO SERVE HIS STATE PARTMENT, REEXAMED THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VTIGATN RECENT YEARS AND FOUND NEHER BIAS NOR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF HIS FORMER LLEAGU, WHO DOGGEDLY PURSUED LEADS UNTIL THE SE CLOSED 1980. YET, THE LEGACY OF A BLACK GAY BAR LIKE THE SAFARI LOUNGE CLOSG MERE DAYS AFTER THE FIRE REMAS UNEXPLORED. ALL RERDS NCERNG THE FIRE SPECTNS THAT FOLLOWED THE NOTOR ARSON WERE LOST TO HURRINE KATRA 2005, ACRDG TO NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT SPOKPERSON CAPTA EDW HOLM. WHEN ASKED FOR MENT ON PAST ACTNS AGAST THE SAFARI LOUNGE OR HOW THE NOFD WOULD RPOND TO A SIAR SUATN TODAY, FIRE SUPERTENNT TIMOTHY MCCONNELL STATED, “THE NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT IS A VERY PROFSNAL AND PROGRSIVE ANIZATN THAT TAK PRI BEG REPRENTATIVE OF AND RPECTFUL OF EVERY MEMBER OF OUR MUNY. THE NOFD DO NOT DISCRIMATE ON ANY BASIS [SIC] AND NO CURRENT MEMBER WOULD BE ABLE TO MENT ON THE ALLEGED ACTNS OF PARTMENT REPRENTATIV OM OVER FORTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.” “I’VE HEARD ‘SNOW QUEEN’ AS LATE AS THE LAST FIVE YEARS. I DON’T REALLY NSIR TO BE OUT OF E” ADVERTISEMENT CULTURAL TENSNS AND SENSIVI LEVELED AT BLACK GAYS NEW ORLEANS PERSIST TO THE PRENT DAY. “TO THIS DAY, I N HARDLY REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I SAW A BLACK GAY UPLE THE QUARTER HOLDG HANDS,” SAID HOWARD PHILIPS SMH, THOR OF UNVEILG THE ME: THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL NEW ORLEANS. “IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS A BIRACIAL UPLE.”TERMS LIKE “SNOW QUEEN” STILL REPORTEDLY CIRCULATE AMONG LOL BLACK GAYS AS A HOLDOVER OF THE RACIAL TENSNS OF PREV S. “I’VE HEARD ‘SNOW QUEEN’ AS LATE AS THE LAST FIVE YEARS,” SAID KEN MCHELL. “I DON’T REALLY NSIR TO BE OUT OF E.” IT’S WILY BATED IF “PASSé BLANC” IS STILL A RACIALLY APPROPRIATE TERM, AS ’S PABLE OF PTG BLACK FOLK AGAST BLACK FOLK WH S LOAD MEANGS, BUT NTU TO BE SPOKEN AROUND TOWN. NO BOOKS, TO DATE, HAVE BEEN WRTEN ABOUT THE BLACK GAY HISTORY OF NEW ORLEANS. “THERE’S NOTHG THAT’S WRTEN OM THE BLACK PERSPECTIVE,” AGREED HICKERSON. “I MEAN, THERE WERE MORE PEOPLE BIS ME WHO ULD HAVE TOLD YOU THIS STUFF, BUT THEY’RE GONE. IT WASN’T IMPORTANT THEN. WE WEREN’T IMPORTANT.”SO MANY VOIC, ALL SOURC NOTE, WERE LOST TO AIDS OR VLENCE OR HURRINE KATRA OR NATURAL . ONLY ONE BAR TERG TO BLACK GAY PATRONS, THE PAGE ON RAMPART STREET, REMAS OPEN FOR BS.BACK 1985, HICKERSON DIDN’T KNOW IF CHERRI JUBILEE WAS GOG TO MAKE S MARDI GRAS BALL PREMIERE. HE AND BUDDY RASMSEN HAD SPENT MONTHS SEWG AND NSTCTG THE STUME SI THE AMON-RA KREWE N. ADVERTISEMENT BUT WHEN ME TIME TO MOVE CHERRI JUBILEE OUT OF THE N’S ONT DOORS, THE OVERSIZED STUME GOT WEDGED.SOMEONE YELLED THAT HICKERSON WOULD HAVE TO SAW OFF PIEC AND REASSEMBLE THEM AT THE VENUE.“I REMEMBER BUDDY RASMSEN TAKG THE DOUBLE DOORS OFF OF THE CLUBHOE N TO GET MY STUME OUT,” SAID HICKERSON. “RATHER THAN NSTCT MY STUME, HE TOOK THE DOORS OFF.”THE MOMENT TRANSFORMED TO A POWERFUL SYMBOL. ONE OF THE OLST GAY ANIZATNS OF THE CY WAS OPENG S DOORS A LTLE WIR TO EMBRACE A RADIL NEW MEMBER. THAT SUCH A GTURE HAD E OM AN UPSTAIRS LOUNGE SURVIVOR AND BLACK ALLY LIKE BUDDY RASMSEN, FOR HICKERSON, SHOWED THAT THE ERA OF “DGE” AND THE “DGE QUEEN” NEW ORLEANS WAS DRAWG TO A CLOSE. ROBERT W. FIELER
• BEFORE ORLANDO SHOOTG, AN ANTI-GAY MASSACRE NEW ORLEANS WAS LARGELY FOTTEN

FORTY FIVE YEARS AGO A FIRE NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR TOOK 32 LIV – AND WAS MET WH APATHY

An oasis for the cy’s sizeable but, for the most part, strictly closeted gay male populatn, a lack of visibily was many ways s most valuable 1973 when the club was set ablaze an act of arson that st a staggerg 32 liv, that lack of attentn endured, the news barely makg to the papers or, seemed, even to the nscns of the lol muny.

“An ordary reactn New Orleans society would have been effive sympathi and a large outpourg, ” said Robert Fieler, whose new book Trbox: The Untold Story of the UpStairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn, chronicl the blaze and s aftermath. “Homosexualy was not supposed to be talked about openly, and when was thst to the open ma a lot of people panic, ” he told the Guardian an the time, New Orleans was a place of strange dualy for LGBT people.

NEW ORLEANS SEARCH FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE THAT KILLED 31

Acrdg to Fieler, unrver police would regularly nduct stg operatns to tch gay men solicg for sex public spac, and if ught and arrted on a dread “crim agast nature” charge, the ramifitns the wir world were absolute. You’d lose your job, your home, everythg, ” Fieler the time, a rince occupied by two spected gay men (or two “spsters”) uld be clared a hoe of ill-repute and seized wh ltle to no due the relatively safe space of the UpStairs lounge, a quietly well-known place where gay men (Fieler not that durg this era, the lbian scene was polilly and socially isolated om the gay scene) uld openly be themselv.

Nearly a half-century after arson killed 32 people a New Orleans gay bar, the Cy Council has renewed the search Thursday, Aug, 4, 2022, for the remas of four victims, cludg three who were never intified. LeBlanc was tranged om his fay California — not bee of his homosexualy but bee he hadn't paid money owed to his grandfather, Fieler wrote "Trbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn. NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly a half-century after arson killed 32 people a New Orleans gay bar, the Cy Council has renewed the search for the remas of four victims, cludg three who were never intified.

SEARCH RENEWED FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE

LeBlanc was tranged om his fay California — not bee of his homosexualy but bee he hadn’t paid money owed to his grandfather, Fieler wrote “Trbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn. Wns saw him buy lighter fluid at a nearby allegedly threw the ntaer ont of the stairwell that went to the entrance to the bar and journalist and thor of Trbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn Robert Fieler explaed to The Advote, the fire ially was ntaed the stairs until the door to the bar was opened, g somethg like a tidal wave of fire to crash to the lounge.

"By early fall, there was creasg evince that the tragedy had roed a dre of gay New Orleanians ways unthkable jt a season before, " thor Robert Fieler wr Trbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn.

Fieler has e out wh a new book "Trbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn, " that tails the fire and s aftermath:WRITING THE BOOKAs a gay man, Fieler said he thought he knew a lot about the gay liberatn movement but then 2013, his journalism profsor — who was om the New Orleans area — told him about the fire: "I was fascated and pelled.

50 YEARS AGO, THE FIRE AT THE UP STAIRS LOUNGE GAY BAR NEW ORLEANS KILLED 32

Attendg his funeral was "life-changg" for Fieler as he went om feelg that he was entirely alone to unrstandg that there were other gay men like LIFE OF A BARFieler scrib the book how the Up Stairs Lounge had a fay-like atmosphere some ways where manager Buddy Rasmsen ran a tight ship: no htlg of patrons, no sloppy dnks and no dg e.

IN 1973, AN ARSON KILLED 32 PEOPLE AT A GAY BAR. FOR YEARS, IT WAS FOTTEN

But there were also raids on gay bars, harassment, and discrimatn: "An dividual who was quiet and who was closeted gay, uld fd pannship, uld fd love and joy, uld have a job, uld have a hoe, so long as this dividual never spoke the dread H. The MCC is a natnwi church started 1968 to mister to gays, lbians, bisexual and transgenr a time, the MCC's New Orleans branch held servic the lounge and about a third of the fire victims were members of the church cludg the pastor.

BOOK REMEMBERS VASTATG 1973 FIRE AT GAY NEW ORLEANS BAR

Fieler wanted to explore the nnectns the book:"For me, really the ia of queer fah was so pellg bee I'd never really heard of before or heard explored an -pth way as related to early gay liberatn culture. Troy Perry, the founr of the Metropolan Communy Church, Larson's mother didn't claim Bill's body for burial bee she was embarrassed that he was publicly intified as a gay man who died a gay bar. “The entire intifitn [of the remas] was summarily dismissed by cy ernment bee they simply did not want to go through the effort of notifyg his fay and also bee they simply didn’t re about another ad gay man, ” Morrell said.

Robert Fieler, journalist and thor of “Trbox: The Untold Story of the UpStairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn, ” chronicled the tragic event not jt his book but to the cy uncil and “anyone who would listen.

His book tails the aftermath of the fire, which was no ls trmatic – fai ashamed to claim loved on, the church this eply Catholic cy refg proper burial rights, and a botched vtigatn all reflected a world of toxic prejudice and rampant homophobia that thrived after the fire. Fe lls “a fantasia of gay culture” — imag of a cht-barg Burt Reynolds and the swimmer Mark Spz that appeared the origal club are there, as wood cutouts, as are other bawdy pictur om the time.

A ‘FOTTEN TRAGEDY’ AT A NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR AND A NEW EFFORT TO HONOR VICTIMS’ REMAS

Sexy ’70s tun play om a speaker Orleans Tim-Piyune, via Associated PrsIn his new book on the tragedy, “Trbox, ” the thor Robert Fieler lls the UpStairs Lounge a secret getaway for “an unrclass of closeted gays who feared fg themselv as a mory group.

The Up Stairs Lounge was a place they uld mararie was bolstered by the weekly attendance of at least a few members of the nearby Metropolan Communy Church -- a lol branch of a natnal church that misters to gays. Clayton Delery-Edwards, a retired teacher who liv New Orleans, highlights Louisiana’s homophobic, sexist and racist state of md at the time of the fire his book The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: 32 Deaths a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973. Fieler, thor of Trbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn, said an terview that 1973, if you acced someone of beg queer at a time when queer was “a bad word, even a ‘killg’ word, you uld expect a very vlent enunter.

Whether you were gay or straight, if you remaed discreet, showed up at church on Sundays, and wore the mask of a God-fearg Christian, your homosexual behavr, illegal gamblg, mafia volvement, dg e or prostutn would be tolerated, Fieler the same time, acrdg to Fieler, any type of genr difference was not well unrstood, and attus blurred wh dangero behavr such as pedophilia and even terrorism. Gay people were not immune om such attus, pecially those who were nfed about or unsure of their own genr like Roger Dale Nunez, then SpectNunez had left his small home town of Abbeville southwt Loiana’s Cajun bayo for the eer air of the supposed Big Easy and supported himself as a gay htler. But late June 1973, Fieler reports, when gay lears lled the archbishop’s office to ask for a nsecrated space for a memorial, a subordate nied their requts and refed to allow them to speak to Hannan.

A FIRE KILLED 32 AT A NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR. THIS ARTIST DIDN’T FET.

”Frank Perez, thor of numero books about New Orleans history and culture, said if someone wanted to attack a gay bar for relig reasons, the Up Stairs Lounge, wh s relaxed workg class atmosphere, would not have been the first choice: “I mean, people would brg their kids! French Quarter Frank), whose most recent book is In Exile: The History and Lore Surroundg New Orleans Gay Culture and Its Olst Gay Bar, said he thks a homophobic killer would be more likely to attack a proment cisg spot like Café Lafte the heart of the French Quarter, rather than a place foced on mararie like the Up Stairs the 1970s, Perez said, Café Lafte had a blowjob rner and banned women and Blacks. Behd the triumphalist narrative monly posed—that of the long but evable march to eedom for gay whe mal—is a history of lost atroci and uneven advancement, pecially for more margalized groups plac like the “Queer Capal of the South, ” a.

ALMOST 50 YEARS LATER, ADLY ATTACK AT NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR REMAS UNSOLVED

There was a time New Orleans when homosexualy was illegal, and “gay” was a dirty word, but somehow beg black and gay ma you negligible to other gays, other black rints and the cy at large. Such termology had been appropriated om natnal gay culture—appearg throughout queer lerature such as Andrew Holleran’s Dancer om the Dance and Larry Kramer's Faggots—but given new ntext the racial dynamics of the Creole example, two black longshoremen who crossed racial l to equent the UpStairs Lounge, which served mostly workg-class whe patrons on the borr of the French Quarter, went by the nicknam Smokie and Coa as reference to their sk Rasmsen, the whe bartenr and manager of the UpStairs Lounge, was known to be pecially iendly to all ers, even lettg women to the bar at a time when gays and lbians were strictly crew of the UpStairs Lounge had an anthem they liked to sg at the piano that summed up their unique outlook: “Uned we stand, divid we fall.

The UpStairs Lounge culture had proven so attractive to open-md gays, such a queer change of pace for New Orleans, that received special mentn Bob Damron’s Addrs Book, an annual travel gui for the discreet gay keepg wh Damron , to protect gay travelers om crimal exposure, the UpStairs Lounge received “(*)” stat to signify “Very Popular. When the Tim-Piyune, the lol newspaper of rerd, accurately reported an armed robbery at the Safari that May, Ltleton ma sure to rrect the rerd, statg “no robbery occurred there… as reported by police and published Saturday’s edn, ” to protect the bar’s new of Ltleton’s gay patrons were closeted to their fai. “If you lled a taxi service, a Uned Cab, for a black ctomer, they would jt drive off, ” relled David Williams, a whe gay New Orleanian who bartend French Quarter tablishments throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

”It’s important to note, wh this racial i, that “Rnchy” uld be reference to the equent se of biracial datg at a time when black gays who sought whe partners were sgled out as “snow queens, ” and whe gays who sought black partners beme known as New Orleans “dge queens.

THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE FIRE KILLED 32 PEOPLE. ITS LEGACY STILL HNTS BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANSTRAGEDYJACK THORNELL/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK32 PEOPLE WERE KILLED WHEN FIRE ENGULFED THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE GAY BAR NEW ORLEANS 1973. BLACK LGBT PEOPLE SAY THE STGGLE FOR RPECT AND VISIBILY THE CY IS ONGOG.ROBERT W. FIELERUPDATED MAY 13, 2019 12:01PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 11, 2019 10:59PM EDT THE UPG 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL RTS NEW YORK CY NEXT MONTH IS G A HALF-CENTURY LOOK-BACK AT THE AMERIN LGBT RIGHTS MOVEMENT. BEHD THE TRIUMPHALIST NARRATIVE MONLY POSED—THAT OF THE LONG BUT EVABLE MARCH TO EEDOM FOR GAY WHE MAL—IS A HISTORY OF LOST ATROCI AND UNEVEN ADVANCEMENT, PECIALLY FOR MORE MARGALIZED GROUPS PLAC LIKE THE “QUEER CAPAL OF THE SOUTH,” A.K.A. NEW ORLEANS. THERE WAS A TIME NEW ORLEANS WHEN HOMOSEXUALY WAS ILLEGAL, AND “GAY” WAS A DIRTY WORD, BUT SOMEHOW BEG BLACK AND GAY MA YOU NEGLIGIBLE TO OTHER GAYS, OTHER BLACK RINTS AND THE CY AT LARGE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, A GAY BAR, BURNED TO ASH 1973 KILLG 32 PEOPLE, SPARKED AN EFFECTIVE CRACKDOWN ON THE BAR SCENE. UNSURPRISGLY, THE FIRST SUALTY THAT CSA WAS THE BLACK GAY BAR DOWN THE STREET. “DGE” DID NOT MIX WH “SNOW” OPENLY, PECIALLY NOT ON BOURBON STREET. THAT WAS UNSPOKEN LAW THE GAY SUBTERRANEAN OF NEW ORLEANS THE 1970S. “DGE” WAS SLANG FOR BLACK HOMOSEXUALS, REFERENCE TO DIRT—LANGUAGE NOW PEJORATIVE AND OFFENSIVE BUT THEN NSIRED TO BE STREET-SPEAK, A C BUT MONPLACE SCRIPTOR.“SNOW,” BY NTRAST, MEANT WHE AND REFERENCED ANTIQUATED NOTNS OF PURENS AN ERA THAT EROTICIZED RACE. SUCH TERMOLOGY HAD BEEN APPROPRIATED OM NATNAL GAY CULTURE—APPEARG THROUGHOUT QUEER LERATURE SUCH AS ANDREW HOLLERAN’S DANCER OM THE DANCE AND LARRY KRAMER'S FAGGOTS—BUT GIVEN NEW NTEXT THE RACIAL DYNAMICS OF THE CREOLE SOUTH.FOR EXAMPLE, TWO BLACK LONGSHOREMEN WHO CROSSED RACIAL L TO EQUENT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, WHICH SERVED MOSTLY WORKG-CLASS WHE PATRONS ON THE BORR OF THE FRENCH QUARTER, WENT BY THE NICKNAM SMOKIE AND COA AS REFERENCE TO THEIR SK TON.BUDDY RASMSEN, THE WHE BARTENR AND MANAGER OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, WAS KNOWN TO BE PECIALLY IENDLY TO ALL ERS, EVEN LETTG WOMEN TO THE BAR AT A TIME WHEN GAYS AND LBIANS WERE STRICTLY SEPARATED.THE CREW OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE HAD AN ANTHEM THEY LIKED TO SG AT THE PIANO THAT SUMMED UP THEIR UNIQUE OUTLOOK: “UNED WE STAND, DIVID WE FALL.” SO WENT THE CHOS. SO THEY DID. THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE CULTURE HAD PROVEN SO ATTRACTIVE TO OPEN-MD GAYS, SUCH A QUEER CHANGE OF PACE FOR NEW ORLEANS, THAT RECEIVED SPECIAL MENTN BOB DAMRON’S ADDRS BOOK, AN ANNUAL TRAVEL GUI FOR THE DISCREET GAY VATNER.IN KEEPG WH DAMRON , TO PROTECT GAY TRAVELERS OM CRIMAL EXPOSURE, THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE RECEIVED “(*)” STAT TO SIGNIFY “VERY POPULAR.” IN FACT, THE UP STAIRS LOUNGE WAS SO POPULAR THAT SUMMER THAT ATTRACTED A BLACK VISOR OM ATLANTA NAMED REGALD TUBBS. ADVERTISEMENT FIREMEN GIVE FIRST AID TO SURVIVORS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE.G E ARNOLD/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK WHEN FIRE STCK THAT TEEMG BAR ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 24, 1973, WH APPROXIMATELY 90 PATRONS GATHERED FOR A SUNDAY DRK SPECIAL LLED THE “BEER BT,” MEN LIKE TUBBS WOULD BE LOST THE PANMONIUM. WH MUT, FLAM CLAIMED THE LIV OF 29 PATRONS, WH THREE OTHERS DOOMED TO AGONIZG ATHS A HOSPAL BURN WARD. IT WAS THE ADLIT FIRE ON RERD NEW ORLEANS HISTORY, YET FEW KNEW HOW TO REACT PUBLICLY TO A HOMOSEXUAL TABLISHMENT BURNG TO , MUCH LS AN TERRACIAL ONE. ‘THE RACIAL POLICS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, WERE TERRIBLE’OUTSI THE OCSNAL OASIS, BLACK AND WHE GAYS HAD MOSTLY KEPT TO THEIR OWN SPAC. “PEOPLE THK GAY IS ONE BIG LOVG FAY,” RELLED RTY DOWNG, A BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIAN. “NO, GAY IS A MICROSM OF THE REAL WORLD. PEOPLE WERE RAISED BY WHO THEY WERE RAISED BY. THEY STILL HAVE THOSE FEARS, THOSE ‘-ISMS’. THE ONLY THG WE HAVE MON IS WE LIKE THE SAME SEX.” ADVERTISEMENT NONE OF THE GAY MARDI GRAS KREW, OR ATERNAL ORRS THAT HOSTED THEATRIL MASQUE BALLS DURG CARNIVAL SEASON, HAD BLACK MEMBERSHIP THE EARLY 1970S. “THE RACIAL POLICS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, WERE TERRIBLE,” RELLED MICHAEL HICKERSON, A LIFELONG NEW ORLEANIAN WHO IS BLACK AS WELL AS GAY. “THE MAJORY OF THE BARS WERE PREDOMANTLY, IF NOT ENTIRELY, WHE GAY BARS. THERE WERE BLACK GAYS AROUND, OBVLY, BUT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR TO GET .”DISCREET WHE HOMOSEXUALS ENJOYED THE VIRTUAL N OF THE FRENCH QUARTER, WH MORE THAN 20 GAY BARS CLOSE PROXIMY. BLACK GAYS, BY NTRAST, MOSTLY EQUENTED THE FEW BLACK GAY BARS TOWN LIKE CHARLIE’S CORNER OR THE SAFARI LOUNGE, A SEND-FLOOR SALOON ON THE RNER OF IBERVILLE STREET AND ROYAL STREET.“COMG OUT AS GAY THE BLACK MUNY, YOU’RE STGGLG TO EXPLORE,” RELLED HICKERSON. “YOU’RE TRYG TO FD OUT WHERE ‘’ IS. YOU SENSE THAT ‘’ IS OUT THERE, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE ANYONE TO SHOW OR TELL YOU. SO I FOUND THE SAFARI LOUNGE ON ROYAL [STREET]... SAFARI WAS UP STAIRS, AND I VENTURED UP THERE VERY AAID.”WH THE SAFARI LOUNGE 1973, MEN LIKE HICKERSON FOUND A SALOON TEEMG WH BLACK MEN, PL BLACK MANAGERS NAMED PRISCILLA AND ROOSEVELT PORTER. PATRONS OF THE SAFARI WOULD FLIRT BENEATH THE BLARE OF LIVE MIC AND DANCE ALMOST LIP-TO-LIP. “I REMEMBER A T-SHAPED STAGE AND GEO BLACK DRAG QUEENS, QUEENS YOU NEVER SAW ELSEWHERE,” RELLED REGA ADAMS, A WHE NEW ORLEANS NIGHTCLUB PERFORMER WHO, 1973, HAD A BLACK LOVER.  THERE WOULD BE THE OCSNAL BOLDFACED “SNOW” GAY SEEKG “DGE,” AS THE TERMOLOGY WENT, AS WHE GAYS ULD CROSS CERTA BOUNDARI THAT BLACK GAYS ULDN’T. ADVERTISEMENT HICKERSON RELLED SEEG A GROUP OF WH AT THE SAFARI ONCE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU’D NEVER SEE MORE THAN ONE OR TWO BLACK PATRONS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. BUT THE SAFARI HADN’T ALWAYS BEEN A GAY BAR. WHEN OPENED 1965, THE SAFARI LOUNGE BOASTED A WILD AND EEWHEELG REPUTATN.KEN MCHELL, A BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIAN, REMEMBERS S VIBE AS BEG “KD OF SEEDY.” A PROPRIETOR NAMED HELEN WILLIAMS HOSTED JAZZ ACTS FEATURG LOL GREATS LIKE SAXOPHONIST ALV TYLER AND PIANIST ELLIS MARSALIS, AS WELL AS THEN-NTROVERSIAL DRAG PERFORMANC.BUT THE ALL-HOURS PANY ULD BE ROUGH AND ATTRACT THE THORI. POLICE REGULARLY FOUND ARMED ROBBERY SPECTS THE TABLISHMENT. IN 1968, THE NEW ORLEANS VICE SQUAD RAID THE BAR AND ARRTED A 21-YEAR-OLD WHE MALE FOR WEARG CLOTH OF THE OPPOSE GENR, AS WELL AS A BLACK UPLE FOR DANCG LEWDLY.SUBSEQUENTLY, THE OWNER HELEN WILLIAMS FACED PETNS TO SPEND THE SAFARI LOUNGE’S LIQUOR LICENSE. CLEARLY, SHE BEAT THE RAP, AS THE PARTY KEPT ON ROLLG. BY THE EARLY 1970S, THE SAFARI CROWD HAD TRANSNED OM MOSTLY STRAIGHT OR BI-CUR SWGER UPL, WHO DABBLED ALTERNATIVE SEXUALI, TO MOSTLY GAY MEN. “MORE GAY PEOPLE WOULD E, MORE STRAIGHTS WOULD LEAVE,” AS HICKERSON SCRIB THE PROCS. “BEFORE YOU KNOW , BEME A BLACK GAY BAR.”A NEW OWNER, A BLACK MAN NAMED HAY LTLETON, FORMALLY TOOK OVER THE TABLISHMENT MARCH 1973, AND HE RAN A MUCH TIGHTER SHIP. WHEN THE TIM-PIYUNE, THE LOL NEWSPAPER OF RERD, ACCURATELY REPORTED AN ARMED ROBBERY AT THE SAFARI THAT MAY, LTLETON MA SURE TO RRECT THE RERD, STATG “NO ROBBERY OCCURRED THERE… AS REPORTED BY POLICE AND PUBLISHED SATURDAY’S EDN,” TO PROTECT THE BAR’S NEW STANDG. ADVERTISEMENT MOST OF LTLETON’S GAY PATRONS WERE CLOSETED TO THEIR FAI. MANY WORE WEDDG RGS. TO LEAVE THE BAR, THEY’D N DOWN THE STAIRSE ONE BY ONE AND DUCK TO THE LEFT SO AS TO PRETEND TO EX OM THE NEARBY PLAYBOY CLUB. “THEY WOULD DRIVE BY, SEE A BLACK MAN WAG AND LEAVE HIM AT THE CURB. YOU ULD OFFER TO TIP THAT DRIVER 40 OR 50 DOLLARS, WOULDN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE” IRONILLY, THE PLAYBOY CLUB ONLY RARELY WELED THE ODD BLACK PATRON, UALLY AN OUT-OF-TOWN CELEBRY. THE PREFERRED METHOD OF EX FOR WHE GAYS—DASHG OM A GAY BAR TO AN IDLG TAXI—WASN’T AVAILABLE TO BLACK GAYS BEE BS WOULDN’T SERVE BLACK CTOMERS.“IF YOU LLED A TAXI SERVICE, A UNED CAB, FOR A BLACK CTOMER, THEY WOULD JT DRIVE OFF,” RELLED DAVID WILLIAMS, A WHE GAY NEW ORLEANIAN WHO BARTEND FRENCH QUARTER TABLISHMENTS THROUGHOUT THE 1970S AND 1980S. “THEY WOULD DRIVE BY, SEE A BLACK MAN WAG AND LEAVE HIM AT THE CURB. YOU ULD OFFER TO TIP THAT DRIVER 40 OR 50 DOLLARS, WOULDN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”JT DOWN IBERVILLE STREET, BS WOULD REGULARLY VIS THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE TO SOP UP BOISTERO PATRONS. BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN HAD VELOPED A SYSTEM WHEREBY A BBIE ON THE GROUND FLOOR ULD RG A BELL THAT SOUND THROUGHOUT HIS SEND-STORY TABLISHMENT TO NOTIFY A PATRON THAT HIS RI WAS READY TO GO.IN MANY WAYS, THE NEW SAFARI LOUNGE STOOD AS A BLACK UNTERPART TO THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE—JT A BLOCK AWAY AND UP A DIFFERENT STAIRSE. MUCH LIKE THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, THE SAFARI LOUNGE THRIVED, RECEIVG MENTN THAT YEAR’S BOB DAMRON’S ADDRS BOOKWH THE “(B)(RT),” WHICH MEANT “BLACKS FREQUENT” AND “RNCHY TYP.” ADVERTISEMENT IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, WH THIS RACIAL I, THAT “RNCHY” ULD BE REFERENCE TO THE EQUENT SE OF BIRACIAL DATG AT A TIME WHEN BLACK GAYS WHO SOUGHT WHE PARTNERS WERE SGLED OUT AS “SNOW QUEENS,” AND WHE GAYS WHO SOUGHT BLACK PARTNERS BEME KNOWN AS NEW ORLEANS “DGE QUEENS.”MOST OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE CROWD, WHE WAGE-EARNERS WHO LIVED PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, ULDN’T AFFORD TO CHALLENGE ANTI-GAY ATTUS OR RACIAL STEREOTYP PERVADG THE CY FOR FEAR OF EXPOSG THEIR SEXUALI THE PROCS.THE SAFARI CROWD, FURTHER OPPRSED BY SOUTHERN RACIAL S, WOULD FACE SWIFTER NSEQUENC IF THEY DID SPEAK UP, AND SO THEY DID NOT. THOUGH HIGHLY ACCSIBLE, HOMOSEXUALY REMAED EASILY PUNISHABLE BY STATE ANTI-SODOMY LAWS AND LOL HARASSMENT ORDANC, WHICH ULD RULT NOT JT ARRT BUT ALSO EXPULSN OM SOCIAL CLUBS AND CHURCH OR THE LOSS OF ONE’S JOB WHEN AN ARRT FOR A SEX CRIME BEME PUBLICIZED THE TIM-PIYUNE.WHAT’S MORE, BLACK GAYS OF THE ERA NTUED TO BE ISOLATED TWO-FOLD BY THE WHE GAY MUNY AND THE BLACK CHURCH MUNY. “BLACK GAYS, WE’RE CLOSE TO OUR FAI. AND WE’RE NOT GOG TO DO ANYTHG THAT WILL E SOME KD OF DISPTN OR BRG SHAME TO THE FAY, PECIALLY A FATHER” ADVERTISEMENT “WH THE BLACK MUNY, THERE WAS NO ACCEPTANCE OF GAY RIGHTS BEE OF THE BLACK CHURCH,” RELLED LARRY BAGNERIS, A BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIAN, AN TERVIEW FOR MY BOOK, TRBOX: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE UP STAIRS LOUNGE FIRE AND THE RISE OF GAY LIBERATN. YET, AS BAGNERIS NOTED WH IRONY, “THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT BEGAN THE BLACK CHURCH.”MOST BLACK GAY MEN KNEW TO NDUCT THEMSELV SO AS TO NEVER DISGRACE THEIR K. “BLACK GAYS, WE’RE CLOSE TO OUR FAI,” OPED MICHAEL HICKERSON. “AND WE’RE NOT GOG TO DO ANYTHG THAT WILL E SOME KD OF DISPTN OR BRG SHAME TO THE FAY, PECIALLY A FATHER.”PRERVG HONOR, A SUATN WHERE A ’S OR A SON’S SEXUALY WAS UNRSTOOD BUT NOT DISCSED, PEND UPON PRIVATE SECRETS NEVER BEG EXPOSED. A BLACKMAILER, WHO ULD E THE FORM OF A N ARTIST OR A FORMER LOVER OR A SPERATE IEND, ULD EXPLO THE VULNERABILI, AND HORROR STORI DID CIRCULATE.PERHAPS THAT’S WHY BLACK GAY MEN OF THE MIDDLE OR UPPER CLASS, MEN WH FORTUN TO LOSE, OFTEN AVOID THE BAR SCENE ENTIRELY THROUGH MEMBERSHIP CLANSTE SOCIAL CLUBS, WHICH HELD MEETGS PRIVATE HOM. “I REMEMBER BEG PART OF A GROUP LLED FOURTH WORLD,” RELLED KEN WILLIAMS, WHO ME OUT TO HIS FAY 1974. “IT WAS ALL GAY MEN, ALL BLACK, BUT WAS VERY LOW KEY. I MEAN, THEY DIDN’T INTIFY PUBLICLY AS GAY, OK, BUT ALL OF THE MEMBERS WERE.”OF URSE, QUEERS THROUGHOUT CRCENT CY WERE SEXUALLY CUR THROUGHOUT THE 1970S, AN ERA OF RENOWNED PROMISCUY BEFORE THE ONSET OF AIDS, AND OFTEN DATED OR CISED TERRACIALLY, PECIALLY ON THE PROWLG GROUNDS OF CY PARK OR RAMPART STREET. “IT WASN’T OUT THE OPEN,” HICKERSON OPED. “AND, WHEN DID HAPPEN, WAS THE LATE NIGHT TRICK.” ADVERTISEMENT SOME L ULD BE NEGOTIATED THROUGH A GAY BAR CULTURE N ON IENDSHIPS. “BUT STILL WAS A WHE MAN’S MUNY,” QUALIFIED HICKERSON, “A GAY WHE MAN’S MUNY.” A FEW LIGHT-SKNED BLACK GAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, ULD BE PERMTED TO “PASS” THE DAYTIME A TONY WHE SETTG LIKE CAFé LAFTE EXILE ON BOURBON STREET SO LONG AS THEY DIDN’T CLARE THEIR RACE.FOR EXAMPLE, A LIFELONG NEW ORLEANIAN NAMED JOHN WILSON, WHO WAS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS LIGHT-SKNED BLACK OR “PASSé BLANC” (A NEW ORLEANS EXPRSN APPLIED TO FRENCH CREOL OF LOR THAT TRANSLAT TO “PASSG WHE”), ULD PULL UP HIS PK CADILLAC OUTSI CAFé LAFTE EXILE AND ENTER THE TABLISHMENT WHOUT HASSLE. “I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS GETTG TO THE BARS BEE OF MY SK LOR,” SAID WILSON. “I MEAN, THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE IENDS OF ME THAT KNEW WHAT I WAS, BUT THERE WAS NO ISSUE MA OF BEE I ULD BE MISTAKEN AS WHE.” MANAGERS WRONGLY EQUATED THE APPEARANCE OF BLACK MEN LIKE WILSON WH BEG OF A NON-BLACK RACIAL BACKGROUND, ALTHOUGH WILSON HAD GROWN UP ATTENDG SEGREGATED BLACK SCHOOLS AND RIDG THE "COLORED" SECTN OF THE STREETR.“THEY HAD A SIGN ON THE DOOR AT LAFTE’S,” RELLED REGA ADAMS, “IT SAID, ‘NO BLACKS, NO FEMS, NO WOMEN.’” WHEN TOMMY HOPKS, OWNER OF CAFé LAFTE EXILE, EMED A PATRON TO BE “TOO BLACK” FOR HIS LIKG, HOPKS WOULD RAISE A HAND WH THREE FGERS EXTEND. THAT GTURE SIGNIFIED TO THE DOORMAN THAT A PATRON WOULD NEED TO PRODUCE THREE FORMS OF ID TO GA ADMTANCE.“FIRST OFF, SOMEONE WANTG YOUR ID WAS A SIGNAL,” RELLED MICHAEL HICKERSON OF A TIME WHEN RRYG INTIFITN POSED A LIABILY FOR MEN THE CLOSET. “THIS WAS THE 1970S A CY OF 24-HOUR BARS. NO ONE RRIED IDS. IF YOU EVEN HAD AN ID, TO KEEP YOU OUT, THEY’D ASK FOR TWO. THEN IF A PERSON PRENTED TWO, THEY’D ASK FOR THREE. AND MAKE MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT.” ADVERTISEMENT IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT SUATNS WHERE A MAN LIKE HICKERSON WOULD BE RD, A MAN LIKE JOHN WILSON WOULDN’T, JT AS WHEN A MAN LIKE WILSON ATTEMPTED TO DRK AT A BLACK GAY BAR LIKE THE ANNEX ON BURGUNDY STREET, HE WOULD RECEIVE DIFFERENT TREATMENT. “IF PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW ME,” RELLED WILSON OF HIS VISS TO THE ANNEX, “THEY WOULD THK I WAS CSIAN, AND I WOULD GET LOOKS.” RACIAL BARI ULD BREAK DOWN NFOUNDG WAYS THROUGHOUT THE CRCENT CY.ONLY A FEW GE TABLISHMENTS LIKE THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE WERE BRAZEN ENOUGH TO ENURAGE TERRACIAL MGLG. “IT WASN’T A PERFECT KUMBAYA,” NOTED FRANK PEREZ, LOL GAY HISTORIAN AND -THOR OF IN EXILE: THE HISTORY AND LORE SURROUNDG NEW ORLEANS GAY CULTURE AND ITS OLST GAY BAR. “BUT WAS HIGHLY UNIQUE FOR THE TIM.”FOR EXAMPLE, A BLACK FORMER JU SEMARIAN NAMED REGALD “REGGIE” ADAMS MET THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, A WHE PATRON WHO WAS THEN EXPERIMENTG WH VAR FEMALE PERSONAE, AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN HAD ENURAGED THEIR FLIRTATN AND BEME CLOSE IENDS WH THE UPLE WHEN ROMANCE BLOSSOMED. IT WAS REGGIE WHO GAVE HIS NEW LOVER THE NAME SHE WOULD E FOR THE RT OF HER LIFE: REGA.“I VISED REGGIE’S FAY DALLAS THAT JUNE AND MET HIS MOTHER,” RELLED REGA. THE UPLE PLANNED TO HAVE A NON-LEGAL NJUGATN CEREMONY, TO SIGNIFY THEIR MMENT, AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE THAT AUGT. REGA HAD EVEN DARED TO BRG REGGIE TO CAFé LAFTE EXILE. ADVERTISEMENT “HE WAS THE FIRST BLACK MAN I EVER SAW DRK LAFTE’S,” RELLED ADAMS. “AND THEY ONLY LET HIM BEE WAS WH ME. HE SAT WAY AT THE END OF THE BAR, NEXT TO THE SOUND BOOTH, WHERE PEOPLE ULDN’T SEE YOU OM THE DOOR.” ENUNTERG SUCH A PAIR AS REGGIE AND REGA, BRIDGG RACE AND GENR A MUNAL BAR SETTG, WAS AN ANOMALY.CREOLE HAD SUCCEED SQUELCHG MOST ATTEMPTS AT GAY ACTIVISM NEW ORLEANS, WHICH SPREAD TO LOUISIANA AFTER THE 1969 STONEWALL RTS. BUT CERTALY, THE GAY MARDI GRAS KREW STOOD AS A BRIGHT LIGHT OF NTRAST TO THE ATMOSPHERE OF OPPRSN.THE FOUNDG OF GAY KREW SUCH AS YUGA (1958), PETRONI (1961), AMON-RA (1965) AND ARMEI (1968) ACTUALLY PREDATED STONEWALL.“MARDI GRAS WAS THE CENTER OF THE GAY MUNY,” RELLED HICKERSON. “IF YOU BELONGED TO ONE OF THOSE ANIZATNS, THEN YOU BELONGED.” THE SEMI-CLOSETED SOCIETI HELD ANNUAL MASQUE BALLS TO PACKED DORIUMS. BUT VATNS ME REFULLY GUARD, WH REQUTS FOR “NO PICTUR PLEASE” SO AS TO PRERVE THE PRIVACY OF MEMBERSHIP.TH DID KREW ENDURE AS THE CY’S MOST POWERFUL GAY STUTNS. AMON-RA, FOR EXAMPLE, PROVED POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BE URTED BY POLICIANS LIKE HARRY CONNICK HIS 1973 N FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY. “FEW NEW ORLEANIANS WERE WILLG TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CY’S LARGE GAY SUBCULTURE THE WAKE THE FIRE” ADVERTISEMENT SO WHEN FIRE EXPLOD THROUGH THE WDOWS OF THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE ON JUNE 24, 1973 WHAT LOOKED LIKE AN APPARENT ACT OF ARSON, THE STRAIGHT AND GAY POPULATN OF NEW ORLEANS REACTED WH BOTH NFN AND HUIATN.JT IMAGE THE STREET GOSSIP: THE ADLIT FIRE ON RERD NEW ORLEANS HISTORY HAD STCK A GAY BAR EQUENTED BY MEN OF BOTH RAC. JOK THAT CIRCULATED AROUND THE FRENCH QUARTER SPOKE OF THE “FLAMG QUEENS” WHO’D “BURN THEIR DRS OFF.” THOUGH UPSTAIRS LOUNGE BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN HAD MERE SENDS TO BRAVELY GUI AT LEAST THIRTY PATRONS OUT AN EMERGENCY EX, THOSE TRAPPED SI LIKE RASMSEN’S LOVER ADAM FONTENOT HAD PERISHED GOMELY.“I REMEMBER THERE WERE GUYS GATHERG GAY BARS, AT LAFTE’S, AND BEME A POT OF NVERSATN FOR THE NIGHT, THIS TACLYSMIC EVENT,” SAID JOHN WILSON. A RCUE WORKER LEANS AGAST A CHARRED WDOW AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. THE WORKER WAS HELPG REMOVE THE CHARRED BODI WHEN HE APPARENTLY ULDN'T FACE ANY LONGER.PA/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK ADVERTISEMENT BUT FEW STRAIGHT NEW ORLEANIANS WERE WILLG TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CY’S LARGE GAY SUBCULTURE THE WAKE THE DISASTER. THE NOTN THAT “THE CY HAS AN ACTIVE HOMOSEXUAL MUNY WHICH DO NOT MAGILLY APPEAR AT MARDI GRAS,” AS WROTE A TIM-PIYUNE JOURNALIST, LGERED NTENTLY. WHEN FORCED TO REACT TO AN EMERGENCY EVENT, MANY LOLS ULD BARELY FD MON HUMANY WH SO-LLED “SEX CRIMALS,” MUCH LS NCERN THEMSELV WH RACIAL DISCRIMATN AMONG THOSE WHO’D PERISHED WHILE NSPIRG TO M SEX ACTS THAT THE AVERAGE AMERIN EQUATED WH RAPE. “NUNEZ SUPPOSEDLY ELUD THORI WHEN HE LEFT THAT HOSPAL AND FLED TO HIS CHILDHOOD HOME, WHERE HE TRATED EFFORTS TO RELOTE HIM SPE THE FACT THAT HIS SOCIAL SECURY ID LISTED THAT HOME ADDRS” MAJOR MOON LANDRI AND GOVERNOR EDW EDWARDS, WHE LOUISIANA DEMOCRATS WHO UNTED HEAVILY ON THE BLACK VOTE, CLED TO MAKE STATEMENTS OF SYMPATHY FOR THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE AD OR CLARE CYWI OR STATEWI DAYS OF MOURNG. THE CHIEF SPECT RODGER DALE NUNEZ, AN UPSTAIRS LOUNGE PATRON EJECTED OM THE BAR SCREAMG “I'M GONNA BURN YOU ALL OUT” MUT BEFORE THE FIRE BEGAN, LATER WOULD NFS TO A BOYIEND THAT HE L THE BLAZE OUT OF SPE. POLICE NEVER QUTNED OR ARRTED NUNEZ, THOUGH HE WAS AT ONE POT TAKEN TO POLICE CTODY AND THEN LEFT WHOUT GUARD AT A LOL HOSPAL. NUNEZ SUPPOSEDLY ELUD THORI WHEN HE LEFT THAT HOSPAL AND FLED TO HIS CHILDHOOD HOME, WHERE HE TRATED EFFORTS TO RELOTE HIM SPE THE FACT THAT HIS SOCIAL SECURY ID LISTED THAT HOME ADDRS. HE WOULD LATER TAKE HIS OWN LIFE. ADVERTISEMENT THE GAY MARDI GRAS KREW, URTED BY POWERFUL POLICIANS, MA NO STATEMENTS TO THE PRS ABOUT IENDS AND ACQUATANC WHO’D PERISHED; NOT EVEN THEIR LEARSHIP ULD RISK SUCH OPENNS. OWNERS OF LOL GAY BARS GREW CENSED WHEN CROWDS DROPPED “ONE-THIRD TO ONE-HALF” OF THEIR UAL SIZE, ACRDG TO A LOL NEWSPAPER LLED THE VIX CARRE COURIER, AND DISURAGED TALK OF RECENT ATHS. IT’S WORTH QUTNG WHETHER MEN LIKE CAFé LAFTE EXILE OWNER TOMMY HOPKS, WHOSE BAR HAD BEEN VISED BY UPSTAIRS LOUNGE PATRON REGGIE ADAMS WEEKS BEFORE, WAS MA BTER OR LS SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS THE STCTN OF A PETOR BAR WHOSE RACIAL ATTUS HAD AFFECTED HIS OWN.FRONT-PAGE STORI ON THE FIRE THE TIM-PIYUNE THE NEXT DAY DIDN’T E THE WORD “HOMOSEXUAL” OR “GAY” TO SCRIBE THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE PATRONS. MOST NEWSPAPER EDORS POLICED AND CENSORED THE WORD “GAY,” THIS ERA, BEE EQUATED HAPPS WH AN ILLEGAL LIFTYLE. THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY, NEW ORLEANS’ BLACK NEWSPAPER, WROTE, “IT IS NOT KNOW IF ANY OF THE VICTIMS ARE BLACK, BUT A NUMBER OF BLACK PATRONS HAD BEEN KNOWN TO EQUENT THE BAR LLED ‘THE UPSTAIRS.’” UNSURPRISGLY, NO FOLLOW-UP STORI APPEARED THE PAG OF THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY, MUCH LS NATNAL BLACK PUBLITNS LIKE THE CHIGO DAILY DEFENR.UPSTAIRS LOUNGE OWNER PHIL ESTEVE, A WHE GAY NEW ORLEANIAN, STOOD THE ASH OF HIS BAR THAT TUDAY, TWO DAYS AFTER THE FIRE, AND CRICIZED ATTEMPTS BY NATNAL GAY LEARS TO TURN THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE FIRE TO A POLIL LL FOR GAY LIBERATN AND THE AD TO MARTYRS. ADVERTISEMENT “THIS FIRE HAD VERY LTLE TO DO WH THE GAY MOVEMENT OR WH ANYTHG GAY,” ESTEVE SISTED TO THE PHILALPHIA INQUIRER. “I DO NOT WANT MY BAR OR THIS TRAGEDY TO BE ED TO FURTHER ANY OF THEIR ,” HE NTUED. ESTEVE, SILENT AS THE RONER STGGLED TO INTIFY FIRE VICTIMS AND AS FAI STGGLED TO RECEIVE RELIG FUNERALS FOR THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VICTIMS, LLECTED AT LEAST $25,000 FIRE SURANCE AFTER THE BLAZE. HE ED THAT MONEY TO OPEN ANOTHER GAY BAR WH THE YEAR LLED THE POST OFFICE. “I REMEMBER MY MOM SAYG TO ME ON THE PHONE, WHEN SHE WAS TELLG ME THIS AWFUL STORY, ‘BUT THE WERE PEOPLE THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN TREATED THAT WAY,’ WHICH WAS ENURAGEMENT TO ME TO E OUT” ONE SMALL NOTE OF PERSONAL REPRIEVE ME FOR BAGNERIS, WHO WAS CLOSETED TO HIS FAY AND OUT OF TOWN AT THE TIME OF THE TRAGEDY.BAGNERIS’ MOTHER WAS MA MORE OPEN AND ACCEPTG BY THE FIRE. “I REMEMBER MY MOM SAYG TO ME ON THE PHONE,” BAGNERIS RELLED AN TERVIEW FOR TRBOX, “WHEN SHE WAS TELLG ME THIS AWFUL STORY, ‘BUT THE WERE PEOPLE THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN TREATED THAT WAY,’ WHICH WAS ENURAGEMENT TO ME TO E OUT [TO HER].”TRAGILLY, REGGIE ADAMS WOULD BE TENTATIVELY INTIFIED AMONG THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE AD BY THAT WEDNDAY, JUNE 27. ADVERTISEMENT REGA, REGGIE’S LOVER, HAD NOT SEEN REGGIE SCE SHE LEFT HIM NEAR THE BAR’S GRAND PIANO ON THE NIGHT OF THE BLAZE. REGA REMEMBERED NEEDG TO DASH TO THEIR NEARBY APARTMENT TO GET A CHECKBOOK FOR A IEND’S BIRTHDAY DNER.EVER GENTEEL, REGGIE HAD OFFERED TO N THE ERRAND HIMSELF, BUT HE’D ONLY JT STARTED A STCH AND SODA SERVED BY BUDDY RASMSEN OR HIS BBOY RTY QUTON, AND REGA HAD SISTED THAT HE STAY PUT. THEY’D PECKED AND PARTED WH “I LOVE YOU,” AND SHE’D N DOWN THE STAIRSE.REGA WAS GONE FOR LS THAN 20 MUT, DURG WHICH TIME SOMEONE L A FIRE THAT VERY STAIRWELL. THE TAXI BUZZER RANG SI THE BAR, AND FLAM EXPLOD A FIREBALL THAT CLEAVED FORTY-FOUR FEET ACROSS THE ROOM WHEN SOMEONE OPENED THE DOOR TO CHECK DOWNSTAIRS. FIRE MET OXYGEN AND FUEL. LAMBENT FLAM PNED REGGIE’S BODY BY THE FAR WDOWS, WHICH HAD BEEN SEALED WH IRON BARS AS A SAFETY MEASURE APPROVED BY FIRE SPECTORS. HE DIED OF THIRD AND FOURTH GREE BURNS ACROSS 95 PERCENT OF HIS BODY SURFACE, ACRDG TO THE RONER’S REPORT.MUT LATER, REGA WALKED THE FAL BLOCK DOWN IBERVILLE STREET AND WNSED THE FERNO HERSELF. IN AN ALMOST OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE, SHE SEARCHED FOR REGGIE AMONG THE TEEMG CROWDS OF GAWKERS AND SPECTATORS AS FIREFIGHTERS DOED THE FLAM. SHE SCREAMED HIS NAME.REGA WENT TO CHARY HOSPAL WHEN SHE ULDN’T FD HIM AMONG THE SURVIVORS, BUT SHE DIDN’T VENTURED DOWN TO THE MUE TO HELP INTIFY REGGIE’S BODY BEE, HER WORDS, “THERE WAS NOTHG LEFT TO ID.” ADVERTISEMENT FLAM WERE HOT ENOUGH TO CHAR MUCH OF REGGIE’S EXTERNAL SK TISSUE, WHICH LIKELY LED TO VTIGATORS MISTAKENLY INTIFYG HIM AS “AN ADULT WHE MALE” A WRTEN REPORT, BUT THE RONER DID ULTIMATELY MARK HIS BODY AS “N,” SHORTHAND FOR THE 1970S LEGAL TERM “NEGRO.” THE RONER EVENTUALLY NFIRMED HIS ATH G NTAL RERDS.“IN AUGT, HIS MOTHER ME TOWN TO PICK UP HIS BODY, AND THAT’S THE LAST I EVER SAW OF ANY OF THEM,” RELLED REGA. “INSTEAD OF G FOR A WEDDG, SHE ME TO BURY HIM.” REGGIE’S WAKE WOULD BE HELD DALLAS AT 11 A.M. ON A RANDOM WEDNDAY. REGA DID NOT ATTEND.THROUGHOUT HER ORAL, MT BE NOTED, NONE OF NEW ORLEANS’ BLACK CHURCH OR CIVIL RIGHTS ANIZATNS ME TO HER AID. LIKEWISE, NONE OF THE LOL BLACK NEWSPAPERS WROTE REGALD ADAMS AN OBUARY OR NDUCTED AN QUIRY TO HIS ATH AND THE SUBSEQUENT POLICE VTIGATN, WHICH NAMED NO CULPR SPE THE EMERGENCE OF A CHIEF ARSON SPECT. THE CY’S HUMAN RELATNS COMMISSN, TASKED TO HANDLE CIVIL RIGHTS MATTERS, DID NOT QUIRE ABOUT REGALD ADAMS SPE THE FACT THAT HALF OF THE MTEE WAS BLACK.FURTHERMORE, WHEN NEW ORLEANS POLICE LISTED ANOTHER POSSIBLE BLACK VICTIM “POSSIBLY AD AS A RULT OF THE FIRE,” A MAN NAMED REGALD TUBBS VISG OM ATLANTA, NO LEAR OF THE LOL BLACK MUNY ADOPTED HIS E.AFTERWARDS, WHEN POLICE ELIMATED TUBBS AS A NDIDATE, ONLY FEW MEMBERS OF THE LOL METROPOLAN COMMUNY CHURCH, A GAY-IENDLY NGREGATN THAT LOST ONE-THIRD OF S MEMBERSHIP TO THE FIRE, NTUED TO PUBLICLY SIST ON TUBBS’ PRENCE AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE. ADVERTISEMENT BOTH THORI AND THE MASTREAM PRS IGNORED THE VOIC, AS HOMOSEXUAL CHRISTIANS WERE THEN NSIRED TO BE A CRIMAL ELEMENT BEYOND THE BODY POLIC.  TH, WHEN THE LAST THREE BODI OM THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE, LABELED AS UNINTIFIED #18, #23 AND #28, BEME TRANSFERRED TO CY CTODY BY JULY 31, NO ONE THE WHE OR BLACK HETEROSEXUAL POWER STCTUR STEPPED FORWARD TO PREVENT THEIR BEG TERRED WHOUT MARKERS A REMOTE POTTER’S FIELD. “THE INTI OF THE FAL THREE UP STAIRS LOUNGE VICTIMS, AND THE PRENCE OF REGALD TUBBS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE ACRDG TO WNS, REMA PUZZLG QUTN MARKS S LATER” WHEN THE METROPOLAN COMMUNY CHURCH ATTEMPTED TO TAKE RPONSIBILY FOR THE BODI A LAST MUTE APPEAL, THE NEW ORLEANS CY ATTORNEY NIED THEIR CLAIM. ONE INTIFIED FIRE VICTIM, A WHE WORLD WAR II VETERAN NAMED FERRIS LEBLANC, RECEIVED BURIAL BI THE UNINTIFIED BEE THORI ULDN’T EASILY LOTE HIS FAY, WHO RID CALIFORNIA.THE INTI OF THE FAL THREE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VICTIMS, AND THE PRENCE OF REGALD TUBBS AT THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE ACRDG TO WNS, REMA PUZZLG QUTN MARKS S LATER.ALL THE WHILE, THE LOUISIANA STATE FIRE MARSHAL LED THE NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT ON A CRACKDOWN OF FIRE VLATNS AND AROUND THE FRENCH QUARTER. BUT NO ONE RAISED ALARMS WHEN THORI SPECIFILLY TARGETED THE SAFARI LOUNGE THEIR CSA. ADVERTISEMENT INED, FIRE SPECTORS ORRED THE SAFARI LOUNGE, SCRIBED BY THE TIM-PIYUNE AS “A SEND-STORY WALK UP SIAR TO THE ILL-FATED UPSTAIRS BAR,” CLOSED IMMEDIATELY SPE OWNER HAY LTLETON’S SISTENCE THAT THE BAR HAD NO PREV VLATNS. FIREMEN AND RCUE WORKERS LOOK UP AT THE BURNED-OUT UPSTAIRS LOUNGE.BETTMANN THE BAR, SHUTTERED BY THAT THURSDAY, JUNE 28, WOULD NEVER REOPEN AS A BLACK GAY OASIS OR A VENUE FOR BLACK DRAG AND NEVER APPEARED AGA THE PAG OF A NEW ORLEANS PHONE BOOK. “NO BLACK MAN WANTED TO BE OUTED,” EXPLAED HICKERSON. “SO YOU ULD JT DO SOMETHG LIKE THAT, AND NO ONE WOULD SAY ANYTHG. WE’D JT GO SOMEWHERE ELSE… UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THEY CLOSE DOWN THE BLACK GAY BAR, YOU N’T GO TO THE WHE ON EHER.” TH DID ONE FIRE SUCCEED MAKG TWO GAY BAR CULTUR VANISH ON THE SAME CY STREET.NATNAL GAY ACTIVISTS LIKE TROY PERRY AND MORRIS KIGHT, WHO TRAVELED TO NEW ORLEANS THE WEEK FOLLOWG THE FIRE TO HOLD MEMORIALS AND BEG FUNDRAISG EFFORTS FOR THE VICTIMS, WERE TOO PREOCCUPIED WH VISG HOSPALS AND BATTLG THE IRE OF BAR OWNERS LIKE PHIL ESTEVE AND TOMMY HOPKS TO GRASP RACIAL NUANCE OR OBSERVE A BLATANT ACT OF PREDATN ON THE SAFARI LOUNGE, THE ONLY BAR SHUTTERED STANTLY THE FIRE SPECTN MPAIGN.IN THIS ERA, SEEMS, THE BLACK, GAY AND BLACK GAY MUNI WERE SO ISOLATED OM EACH OTHER THAT THEY FAILED TO SEE MON PLIGHT OR E TO EACH OTHER'S FENS. DIVID, THEY OFTEN FELL.THE ADVOTE, THE LEGENDARY GAY NEWS MAGAZE PUBLISHG NEWS OF THE NEW ORLEANS FIRE OM LOS ANGEL, GOT THE STORY OF THE SAFARI LOUNGE WRONG ENTIRELY. ADVERTISEMENT “ANOTHER SEND FLOOR BAR ON IBERVILLE, A BLOCK OM THE UPSTAIRS, THE SAFARI LOUNGE, WAS CLOSED BY THE FIRE PREVENTN BURE THE WAKE OF THE UPSTAIRS FOR ALLEGED FIRE VLATNS,” REPORTED THE PAPER. “THE SAFARI IS NOT GAY.”IT TOOK THE PHILALPHIA INQUIRER, AN ULTRALIBERAL EAST COAST NEWSPAPER, SENDG S OWN REPORTER TO THE BIG EASY FOR A FEW DAYS TO ACCINTALLY STUMBLE UPON THE SAFARI AND INTIFY AS “A PREDOMANTLY BLACK GAY BAR.”SOME PATRONS OM THE SAFARI LOUNGE EVENTUALLY MIGRATED TO A CLUB ABUTTG THE HIGHWAY LLED TUCKY’S DOME, WHICH THEY SLOWLY NVERTED TO A BLACK GAY DIS. “AT TUCKY’S DOME, THEY WOULD EVEN PLAY SLOW RERDS, AND GUYS WOULD SLOW DANCE WH EACH OTHER,” RELLED KEN MCHELL WH FONDNS. “IT WAS FUCKG FABULO,” RELLED HICKERSON. “FABULO. I REMEMBER SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE AD WHO ED TO EQUENT THAT BAR… THEY WERE DANCG OM THE CEILG.”  REGA ENTERED A PROLONGED STATE OF MOURNG AS SHE LAID OUT REGGIE’S CLOTHG ON THEIR BED EACH MORNG. BARTENR BUDDY RASMSEN, MOURNG THE LOSS OF A LOVER NAMED ADAM FONTENOT, ALSO DISAPPEARED OM THE PUBLIC VIEW FOR A SPAN OF WEEKS.BUT REGA AND RASMSEN EVENTUALLY DID REEMERGE TO GAY LIFE. REGA BEME A CELEBRATED NIGHTCLUB ACT, AND RASMSEN TEND BAR AT THE POST OFFICE, FORMER UPSTAIRS LOUNGE OWNER PHIL ESTEVE’S NEW TABLISHMENT. RASMSEN EMBRACED HIS MEMBERSHIP THE KREWE OF AMON-RA AND TOOK REFUGE THE ANNUAL REVELRY OF GAY MARDI GRAS. ADVERTISEMENT TALK OF THE ADLY BLAZE DISSIPATED, AND THE CY MOVED ON. INVTIGATNS CLOSED WHOUT ANSWERS AND REMA OFFICIALLY UNSOLVED. ‘I REALLY THK THAT BLACK & WHE MEN TOGETHER HELPED GET RID OF THAT NEGATIVE TERMOLOGY’IN 1974, JOHN WILSON ED HIS “PASSé BLANC” STAT TO VERTLY TEGRATE THE GAY KREWE OF OLYMP, WHICH MA HIM THE FIRST BLACK MEMBER OF A GAY MARDI GRAS ANIZATN NEW ORLEANS. “SOME KNEW WHAT I WAS,” SISTED WILSON, “BUT THOSE WHO DID NEVER VERBALIZED WHAT THEY KNEW.” WILSON ALSO KNEW BETTER THAN TO VERBALIZE HIS POT OF DIFFERENCE, WHICH WOULD MAKE HIS RACE A VEXG ISSUE.  WILSON, WHO HAD A BODYBUILR PHYSIQUE, WAS EQUENTLY ASKED TO BE A “PAGE,” OR SNTILY CLAD RT FOR DRAG QUEENS, AT GAY AMON-RA MARDI GRAS BALLS THROUGHOUT THE 1970S. “I HAD A 28-CH WAIST AND A 38-CH CHT, SO THEY LIKED THAT,” WILSON EXPLAED WH A LGH. ADVERTISEMENT “I HAD THE APPEARANCE OF BEG WHE,” HE NTUED, “AND THEREFORE THEY DIDN’T THK WAS GOG TO BE A PROBLEM WH THE VENUE OR PEOPLE WHO WOULD ATTEND THE BALLS OR THEIR FUNDRAISG EVENTS.” BUT WILSON NEVER FULLY TTED THE LIMS OF HIS SE BY TRYG TO BEE AN AMON-RA MEMBER. IN THE EARLY 1980S, REGA LEGALLY CHANGED HER NAME TO REGA ADAMS, TAKG REGGIE’S SURNAME TO HONOR THE MAN SHE ONCE WANTED TO MARRY. AROUND HER, THROUGHOUT NEW ORLEANS, GAY RACIAL ATTUS WERE SLOWLY EVOLVG. BY 1982, LOLS FOUND A NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER OF BLACK & WHE MEN TOGETHER (BWMT), A NATNAL ANIZATN THAT PROVID BOTH A VENUE AND SUPPORT GROUP FOR GAY MEN TERTED TERRACIAL DATG.“THERE WERE STILL THGS LIKE ‘DGE QUEENS,’” RELLED HICKERSON. “BUT I REALLY THK THAT BLACK & WHE MEN TOGETHER HELPED GET RID OF THAT NEGATIVE TERMOLOGY.” RTY DOWNG ATTEND BWMT MEETGS, WHICH HE LLED “STCH AND BCH” SSNS WHERE WORDS LIKE “SNOW QUEEN” WOULD BE ED WH HUMOR, SO AS TO MYSTIFY TERRACIAL URTSHIP. “I BEME THEIR FACE THE GAY MUNY. I UNRSTOOD THAT. BUT I ALSO UNRSTOOD HOW I WAS OPENG UP DOORS AND MAKG A TY B OF DIFFERENCE BY PUTTG BLACK PEOPLE ON THE FOREONT” HICKERSON JOED THE LOUISIANA GAY POLIL ACTN COMMTEE, LLED LAGPAC FOR SHORT, TO ADVANCE GAY POLICS THE STATE.“YOU KNOW, POLICS IS ONE OF THOSE THGS WHERE THEY E YOU, AND YOU E THEM,” HE RELLED. “I BEME THEIR FACE THE GAY MUNY. I UNRSTOOD THAT. BUT I ALSO UNRSTOOD HOW I WAS OPENG UP DOORS AND MAKG A TY B OF DIFFERENCE BY PUTTG BLACK PEOPLE ON THE FOREONT.” ADVERTISEMENT YET WHEN LAGPAC TOOK UP A VOTE 1982 TO SUPPORT A LOL NEWSPAPER AD THAT CRICIZED THE “HARASSMENT AND HUIATN OUR FELLOW [BLACK] GAY MEN AND WOMEN SUFFER AS THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS ARE VLATED THE DOORWAY OF THE GAY BAR” AND MAND “A STAND ON THIS ISSUE,” THE PREDOMANTLY WHE MALE BOARD VOTED DOWN THE MEASURE.NOT CINTALLY, LAGPAC’S PRIMARY FANCIAL SPONSORS HAPPENED TO BE THE OWNERS OF THE WHE GAY BARS MATAG THE RACIAL POLICI. SO WENT WH HALF-MEASUR.THAT YEAR, MICHAEL HICKERSON FORMED THE KREWE OF POLYPHEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF HAVG ONE GAY MARDI GRAS KREWE TOWN THAT EXPLICLY ACCEPTED BLACK MEMBERS. KEN MCHELL JOED LAGPAC TO CHANNEL HIS FEELGS OF ANGER AND RENTMENT NSTCTIVELY. “IT WAS A STRONG ANIZATN, LOTS OF PARTICIPATN,” RELLED MCHELL. “THE ONLY LACK OF PARTICIPATN WAS OM MORI, AIN AMERINS AND LATOS. AND WE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHY, BRASTORMG, AND WE ME UP WH THE IA THAT WE’D DO BETTER SEPARATELY BEE THERE WAS A LOT OF TST ISSU BETWEEN THE MUNI.” “A LOT OF BLACK GAYS—PECIALLY DURG THE 80S WHEN THE RACISM WAS MORE OVERT, WHEN MUNI WERE FIGHTG FOR GAY RIGHTS—SAID, ‘I’M GOG TO FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, NOT GAY RIGHTS, BEE THE GAYS HAVE SHOWN ME NO DIFFERENCE’” SO BIRTHED THE BLACK GAY ADVOCY ANIZATN LANGSTON JON, ALONG WH A BIMONTHLY DISCSN GROUP FOR BLACK GAY NEW ORLEANIANS LLED MAN TALK. ADVERTISEMENT “A LOT OF BLACK GAYS—PECIALLY DURG THE '80S WHEN THE RACISM WAS MORE OVERT, WHEN MUNI WERE FIGHTG FOR GAY RIGHTS—SAID, ‘I’M GOG TO FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, NOT GAY RIGHTS, BEE THE GAYS HAVE SHOWN ME NO DIFFERENCE,’” RELLED RTY DOWNG. MANY GAY BLACK MEN WHO FOUGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, HOWEVER, DID NOT ACHIEVE EQUAL STAT WH STRAIGHT BLACK MEN WHEN CERTA HURDL FELL BACK. FOR EXAMPLE, ERNT “DUTCH” MORIAL, THE FIRST BLACK MAYOR NEW ORLEANS HISTORY, PUBLICLY SUPPORTED THOSE WH HIV DURG THE HEIGHT OF 1980S AIDS HYSTERIA BUT ALSO REFED TO ENDORSE LAGPAC’S MPAIGN FOR AN ANTI-DISCRIMATN ORDANCE PROTECTG HOMOSEXUALS THE CY.  IN 1984, HICKERSON BROKE A LOR BARRIER WHEN BEME THE FIRST BLACK MEMBER OF THE QUEER KREWE OF AMON-RA. IT’S UNKNOWN IF THERE WERE HIDN “PASSé BLANC” MEMBERS OF AMON-RA BEFORE, BUT HICKERSON’S APPEARANCE MA HIS RACE UNQUTNABLE. RASMSEN, PRENT AT AMON-RA SH AND IATN MEETGS, WAS STMENTAL VOTG HICKERSON TO THE GROUP.“THE NIGHT I GOT TO THE ANIZATN, THERE WERE SOME WH WHO DIDN’T,” HICKERSON RELLED. AS A RULT, SEVERAL AMON-RA MEMBERS QU THE ANIZATN. THEIR FLIGHT IS DIRECTLY VALIDATED BY 1984 AMON-RA PTA MIKHAEL ERIKSON, WHO SAID, “I’M SURE HAPPENED,” AND PARTIALLY VALIDATED BY JOHN EAST, A MEMBER SCE 1979, WHO RELLED, “I DO KNOW THERE WAS A B NTROVERSY; ANY MEMBERS THAT WERE VOLVED THAT ARE ALL EHER CEASED, MOVED AWAY OR NO LONGER MEMBERS.”REGARDLS, HICKERSON IS CERTA THAT HIS RACE WAS THE POT OF DISTRS. “I WAS GAY, SO THAT WASN’T THE ISSUE,” SAID HICKERSON. “I WAS A MALE, SO THAT WASN’T THE ISSUE. THE ONLY THG THAT SEPARATED ME OM THEM WAS MY SK LOR.” OVER TIME, HICKERSON ENUNTERED GROWG NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TRYG TO UNTER OR SOFTEN HIS MEMORI. “PEOPLE LIKE TO REMEMBER THEIR WAY, THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN,” SISTED HICKERSON. “BUT DID.” ADVERTISEMENT BUDDY RASMSEN REIGNED AS QUEEN OF THE 1985 AMON-RA BALL WH FULL DRAG PAGEANTRY. CURTAS OPENED, AND HE EMERGED A SCEPTER AND CROWN AND SEQUED GOWN ATTACHED TO LOSSAL BUTTERFLY WGS THAT EXPAND THE WIDTH OF AN DORIUM STAGE RISER.BUT THOUGH HE HELD A VETED CEREMONIAL ROLE THAT YEAR, WH EVERY REASON TO BASK HIS MOMENT, RASMSEN HELPED HICKERSON ACHIEVE NOTORIETY WH A STUME BASED AROUND THE TABLEX THEME OF CHERRI JUBILEE, THE POPULAR SERT. AS CHERRI JUBILEE, WEARG A VERABLE SET PIECE MA OM AN VERTED CHILD’S BABY POOL VERED WHE FOAM AND RED BBER DOTS, HICKERSON MA HIS AMON-RA BALL PREMIERE AND WON SEVERAL VETED MARDI GRAS STUME AWARDS. “HE WAS STUNNG DRAG,” RELLED JOHN EAST. “HE LOOKED LIKE DIANA ROSS.”AFTERWARDS, DISCRIMATORY DOOR POLICI ULDN’T KEEP MEN LIKE DOWNG OR HICKERSON OR MCHELL OUT OF THE BOURBON STREET GAY SCENE. “I WAS DANCG ON THE BAR BY THEN,” HICKERSON SAID. MORE BLACK GAY BARS FLOURISHED AT A REMOVE OM THE BOURBON STREET STRIP LIKE WOLFENDAL ON RAMPART STREET.HICKERSON SERVED AS GRAND MARSHALL OF THE 1985 GAY SOUTHERN DENCE PARA AND BEME THE VERABLE TOAST OF THE FRENCH QUARTER WH HIS MEMORABLE NICKNAME FISH (A REFERENCE TO A THEN-MON TERM FOR BLACK WOMEN NOW KNOWN TO BE MISOGYNISTIC). “THERE WERE BLACK QUEENS WHO WERE WELE EVERY CIRCLE AND EVERY DOOR NO MATTER WHERE THEY WENT, AND ‘FISH’ WAS ONE OF THEM,” RELLED DAVID WILLIAMS. “RTY DOWNG, TOO. BUT THE GENERAL BLACK POPULATN, LS SO.”NEGATIVE TERMOLOGY FOR BLACK GAYS STILL DID CIRCULATE AMONG WHE GAYS, PECIALLY WHEN BLACK GAYS WEREN’T PRENT. “WHE QUEENS, TRASHY WHE QUEENS WOULD STILL E THE N-WORD,” RELLED DAVID WILLIAMS. “COMMONPLACE. BUT ‘DGE’ WAS OLD BY THEN, NEGATIVE. YOU FIGURE OUT THE IRONY THERE.” ADVERTISEMENT HARR TO P-DOWN RACIAL QUOTAS REPLACED DISCRIMATORY DOOR POLICI AT GAY BARS, WHICH KEPT OVERALL BAR CROWDS OM GETTG WHAT OWNERS STILL RECKONED AS BEG “TOO BLACK” OR, AS RTY DOWNG SCRIBED HEARG THE TERMOLOGY, “TOO ETHNIC LOOKG.”TO ADD PLEXY, MANY OF THE DOORMEN ENFORCG THE QUOTAS WERE NON-WHE THEMSELV. TO AVOID BLOWBACK, GAY BARS LIKE LE BISTRO HOSTED THE OCSNAL THREE-FOR-ONE DRK NIGHT (RMALLY LLED “BLACK NIGHT”), WHERE QUOTAS WENT OUT THE WDOW, AND BLACK GAYS LED BOURBON STREET FOR AN EVENG.IN 1990, LARRY BAGNERIS RAN FOR NEW ORLEANS CY COUNCIL. HE BEAT 16 OTHER NDIDAT TO FORCE A N-OFF ELECTN FOR THE DISTRICT C SEAT, WHICH HE LOST. HAD HE WON, HE WOULD HAVE BEE NEW ORLEANS’ FIRST OPENLY GAY ELECTED OFFICIAL. INSTEAD, 1999, HE RECEIVED APPOTMENT AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW ORLEANS HUMAN RELATNS COMMISSN, OVERSEEG ALL CIVIL RIGHTS MATTERS CYWI.BY 2004, HICKERSON ACHIEVED ENOUGH CLOUT TO BEE THE FIRST BLACK QUEEN OF AMON-RA THE ANIZATN’S 39-YEAR HISTORY. EXHSTED, YET SATISFIED THAT HE MA HIS MARK, HE QU SOON AFTERWARDS. THIS YEAR, GABRIEL MCHELL FOLLOWED HICKERSON’S LEAD AS QUEEN OF AMON-RA FOR MARDI GRAS 2019. “I WASN’T SURE IF I WAS THE FIRST BLACK QUEEN OR IF WE’D HAD OTHER ON BEFORE,” SAID MCHELL, A THIRD-YEAR MEMBER CENTRAL TO THE KREWE’S FUTURE PLANS BUT STILL LEARNG S LEAGE. WHEN MCHELL EMERGED ON STAGE A PK AND PURPLE GOWN WH A RADIATG TAIL OF PEACK FEATHERS, A SEA OF FLASHBULBS ILLUMATED HIS SE, BUT HIS PARENTS WERE NOT THE CROWD. MCHELL’S SEXUALY, MUCH LS HIS PARTICIPATN DRAG PAGEANTRY, REMAS A LITE SUBJECT. “I ACTUALLY DIDN’T GIVE THEM AN VE BEE I DIDN’T WANT THERE TO BE ANY DRAMA,” SAID MCHELL. “AND I ALSO THK I DIDN’T WANT THE REJECTN.”AS THE FIRST-BORN SON OF A RELIG HOEHOLD OM SULPHUR, LA, MCHELL, AT 34 YEARS OLD, NTU TO BE SUBJECT TO “BIBLIL EXPECTATNS” IMPOSED BY FAY MEMBERS, WHO OTHERWISE LOVE AND FEND HIM FIERCELY. “MY DAD STILL HARBORS THIS IA THAT MAYBE ONE DAY I N GET MARRIED AND GIVE HIM A GRANDCHILD LIKE MY TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS, WHO’VE BOTH HAD CHILDREN,” HE EXPLAED. “I THK THAT’S PROBABLY HIS ONE DREAM, THE ONE THG HE MAYBE NEVER GETS.” ADVERTISEMENT A PART OF MCHELL BELIEV THAT HE MISSED OUT BY NOT HAVG HIS PARENTS SHARE HIS CROWNG MOMENT, BUT HE HASN’T CID IF HE’S GOG TO VE THEM TO THE BALL NEXT YEAR.SIARLY, QUEER TEENAGERS OF LOR THROUGHOUT NEW ORLEANS OFTEN REMA HEDGED BY RELIG OR CULTURAL NVENTNS THAT DO NOT AFFECT THEIR WHE GAY PEERS. FOR EXAMPLE, BEN ZERVIGON, WHO AT 18 YEARS OLD IS THE YOUNGT MEMBER OF THE GAY KREWE OF ARMEI, STANDS ON THE VANGUARD OF QUEERNS AS A WHE HIGH SCHOOL SENR—OUT TO HIS FAY AND GREATER NEW ORLEANS. (FULL DISCLOSURE: MY HBAND RYAN LENER HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF ARMEI SCE OCTOBER 2018.) “I’VE BEEN QUIETLY THANKFUL MANY TIM TO BE THE FAY I’M ,” WROTE ZERVIGON A RECENT FACEBOOK DIRECT MSAGE. BUT HE NNOT IGNORE THE DISPARI MA APPARENT BY HIS OPENNS. SEVERAL OF ZERVIGON’S CLOSE IENDS ARE BLACK TEENS WHO PLAN TO BE CLOSETED UNTIL LLEGE DUE TO RELIG PRSUR.“MANY DON’T FACE PHYSIL VLENCE OF ANY KD BUT DO FACE [THE PROSPECT OF] BEG BLACKLISTED BY THE MUNY AND DISOWNED BY THEIR FAI,” HE EXPLAED. ZERVIGON FEELS THAT WILL TAKE MORE GENERATNS TO ERADITE SUCH UNEVEN PROGRS. ADVERTISEMENT ‘THEIR GOAL WAS TO LOTE LEBLANC’S REMAS THE REMOTE POTTER’S FIELD’RECENTLY, THE CY OF NEW ORLEANS’ STANCE TOWARDS THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE LEGACY HAS ADVANCED OM ARM’S-LENGTH TO A MORE OPEN EMBRACE. IN JUNE 2018, AT A MEMORIAL OBSERVANCE FOR THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGEDY, LATOYA CANTRELL, THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE MAYOR NEW ORLEANS HISTORY, WALKED DOWN THE CENTER AISLE OF A FRENCH QUARTER CHURCH AND REGNIZED THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE AS PART OF THE CY’S STORY. SCE THAT TIME, MAYOR CANTRELL’S OFFICE MISSNED A TASK FORCE TO WORK WH THE FAY OF UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VICTIM FERRIS LEBLANC. THEIR GOAL WAS TO LOTE LEBLANC’S REMAS THE REMOTE POTTER’S FIELD LLED RTHAVEN CEMETERY, WHERE HE WAS BURIED ALONGSI THE THREE UNINTIFIED FIRE VICTIMS, AND HELP THE FAY BRG HIM HOME TO CALIFORNIA. “AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE EXHSTED OUR CURRENT AVENU. WE REMA ACTIVELY ENGAGED AND READY TO BRG ALL AVAILABLE ROURC TO BEAR IF NEW RMATN PRENTS SELF” “OUR OFFICE NVENED A SMALL TEAM AND THEY HAVE BEEN WORKG HARD TO HELP THE FAY GET ANSWERS AND PURSUE MULTIPLE L OF QUIRY THE SEARCH FOR THEIR LOVED ONE,” WROTE VCENZO PASQUANTON, DIRECTOR OF THE NEW ORLEANS OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUY, A RECENT EMAIL. “AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE EXHSTED OUR CURRENT AVENU. WE REMA ACTIVELY ENGAGED AND READY TO BRG ALL AVAILABLE ROURC TO BEAR IF NEW RMATN PRENTS SELF.” ADVERTISEMENT SEVERAL NDIDAT FOR THE UNINTIFIED FIRE VICTIMS, SUCH AS LARRY FROST AND REGALD TUBBS, HAVE EMERGED THROUGH RECENT SCHOLARSHIP. UNFORTUNATELY, AT PRENT, CEMETERY RERDS LOST TERVENG S HAMPER THE ABILY TO EXHUME LEBLANC’S BODY OM HIS UNMARKED PLOT OR TO PARE ANY UNINTIFIED REMAS WH DNA OM POTENTIAL FAI SEEKG CLOSURE. THE LOUISIANA STATE FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE, LIKEWISE, STEPPED FORWARD TO REGNIZE THE 1973 FIRE AS PART OF THEIR AGENCY’S HISTORY. TREVOR SANTOS, A SENR PUTY FIRE MARSHAL WHO IS ALSO THE FIRST OPENLY GAY OFFICER TO SERVE HIS STATE PARTMENT, REEXAMED THE UPSTAIRS LOUNGE VTIGATN RECENT YEARS AND FOUND NEHER BIAS NOR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF HIS FORMER LLEAGU, WHO DOGGEDLY PURSUED LEADS UNTIL THE SE CLOSED 1980. YET, THE LEGACY OF A BLACK GAY BAR LIKE THE SAFARI LOUNGE CLOSG MERE DAYS AFTER THE FIRE REMAS UNEXPLORED. ALL RERDS NCERNG THE FIRE SPECTNS THAT FOLLOWED THE NOTOR ARSON WERE LOST TO HURRINE KATRA 2005, ACRDG TO NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT SPOKPERSON CAPTA EDW HOLM. WHEN ASKED FOR MENT ON PAST ACTNS AGAST THE SAFARI LOUNGE OR HOW THE NOFD WOULD RPOND TO A SIAR SUATN TODAY, FIRE SUPERTENNT TIMOTHY MCCONNELL STATED, “THE NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT IS A VERY PROFSNAL AND PROGRSIVE ANIZATN THAT TAK PRI BEG REPRENTATIVE OF AND RPECTFUL OF EVERY MEMBER OF OUR MUNY. THE NOFD DO NOT DISCRIMATE ON ANY BASIS [SIC] AND NO CURRENT MEMBER WOULD BE ABLE TO MENT ON THE ALLEGED ACTNS OF PARTMENT REPRENTATIV OM OVER FORTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.” “I’VE HEARD ‘SNOW QUEEN’ AS LATE AS THE LAST FIVE YEARS. I DON’T REALLY NSIR TO BE OUT OF E” ADVERTISEMENT CULTURAL TENSNS AND SENSIVI LEVELED AT BLACK GAYS NEW ORLEANS PERSIST TO THE PRENT DAY. “TO THIS DAY, I N HARDLY REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I SAW A BLACK GAY UPLE THE QUARTER HOLDG HANDS,” SAID HOWARD PHILIPS SMH, THOR OF UNVEILG THE ME: THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL NEW ORLEANS. “IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS A BIRACIAL UPLE.”TERMS LIKE “SNOW QUEEN” STILL REPORTEDLY CIRCULATE AMONG LOL BLACK GAYS AS A HOLDOVER OF THE RACIAL TENSNS OF PREV S. “I’VE HEARD ‘SNOW QUEEN’ AS LATE AS THE LAST FIVE YEARS,” SAID KEN MCHELL. “I DON’T REALLY NSIR TO BE OUT OF E.” IT’S WILY BATED IF “PASSé BLANC” IS STILL A RACIALLY APPROPRIATE TERM, AS ’S PABLE OF PTG BLACK FOLK AGAST BLACK FOLK WH S LOAD MEANGS, BUT NTU TO BE SPOKEN AROUND TOWN. NO BOOKS, TO DATE, HAVE BEEN WRTEN ABOUT THE BLACK GAY HISTORY OF NEW ORLEANS. “THERE’S NOTHG THAT’S WRTEN OM THE BLACK PERSPECTIVE,” AGREED HICKERSON. “I MEAN, THERE WERE MORE PEOPLE BIS ME WHO ULD HAVE TOLD YOU THIS STUFF, BUT THEY’RE GONE. IT WASN’T IMPORTANT THEN. WE WEREN’T IMPORTANT.”SO MANY VOIC, ALL SOURC NOTE, WERE LOST TO AIDS OR VLENCE OR HURRINE KATRA OR NATURAL . ONLY ONE BAR TERG TO BLACK GAY PATRONS, THE PAGE ON RAMPART STREET, REMAS OPEN FOR BS.BACK 1985, HICKERSON DIDN’T KNOW IF CHERRI JUBILEE WAS GOG TO MAKE S MARDI GRAS BALL PREMIERE. HE AND BUDDY RASMSEN HAD SPENT MONTHS SEWG AND NSTCTG THE STUME SI THE AMON-RA KREWE N. ADVERTISEMENT BUT WHEN ME TIME TO MOVE CHERRI JUBILEE OUT OF THE N’S ONT DOORS, THE OVERSIZED STUME GOT WEDGED.SOMEONE YELLED THAT HICKERSON WOULD HAVE TO SAW OFF PIEC AND REASSEMBLE THEM AT THE VENUE.“I REMEMBER BUDDY RASMSEN TAKG THE DOUBLE DOORS OFF OF THE CLUBHOE N TO GET MY STUME OUT,” SAID HICKERSON. “RATHER THAN NSTCT MY STUME, HE TOOK THE DOORS OFF.”THE MOMENT TRANSFORMED TO A POWERFUL SYMBOL. ONE OF THE OLST GAY ANIZATNS OF THE CY WAS OPENG S DOORS A LTLE WIR TO EMBRACE A RADIL NEW MEMBER. THAT SUCH A GTURE HAD E OM AN UPSTAIRS LOUNGE SURVIVOR AND BLACK ALLY LIKE BUDDY RASMSEN, FOR HICKERSON, SHOWED THAT THE ERA OF “DGE” AND THE “DGE QUEEN” NEW ORLEANS WAS DRAWG TO A CLOSE. ROBERT W. FIELER

”Most of the UpStairs Lounge crowd, whe wage-earners who lived paycheck to paycheck, uldn’t afford to challenge anti-gay attus or racial stereotyp pervadg the cy for fear of exposg their sexuali the Safari crowd, further opprsed by Southern racial s, would face swifter nsequenc if they did speak up, and so they did not.

Though highly accsible, homosexualy remaed easily punishable by state anti-sodomy laws and lol harassment ordanc, which uld rult not jt arrt but also expulsn om social clubs and church or the loss of one’s job when an arrt for a sex crime beme publicized the ’s more, black gays of the era ntued to be isolated two-fold by the whe gay muny and the black church muny. And we’re not gog to do anythg that will e some kd of disptn or brg shame to the fay, pecially a father”“Wh the black muny, there was no acceptance of gay rights bee of the black church, ” relled Larry Bagneris, a black gay New Orleanian, an terview for my book, Trbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberatn.

Perhaps that’s why black gay men of the middle or upper class, men wh fortun to lose, often avoid the bar scene entirely through membership clanste social clubs, which held meetgs private hom. ” A few light-skned black gays, for example, uld be permted to “pass” the daytime a tony whe settg like Café Lafte Exile on Bourbon Street so long as they didn’t clare their example, a lifelong New Orleanian named John Wilson, who was often referred to as light-skned black or “passé blanc” (a New Orleans exprsn applied to French Creol of lor that translat to “passg whe”), uld pull up his pk Cadillac outsi Café Lafte Exile and enter the tablishment whout hassle.

BEFORE ORLANDO SHOOTG, AN ANTI-GAY MASSACRE NEW ORLEANS WAS LARGELY FOTTEN

”It should be noted that suatns where a man like Hickerson would be rd, a man like John Wilson wouldn’t, jt as when a man like Wilson attempted to drk at a black gay bar like the Annex on Burgundy Street, he would receive different treatment. ” Enunterg such a pair as Reggie and Rega, bridgg race and genr a munal bar settg, was an had succeed squelchg most attempts at gay activism New Orleans, which spread to Louisiana after the 1969 Stonewall rts. But certaly, the gay Mardi Gras krew stood as a bright light of ntrast to the atmosphere of foundg of gay krew such as Yuga (1958), Petroni (1961), Amon-Ra (1965) and Armei (1968) actually predated Stonewall.

“Few New Orleanians were willg to acknowledge the cy’s large gay subculture the wake the fire”So when fire explod through the wdows of the UpStairs Lounge on June 24, 1973 what looked like an apparent act of arson, the straight and gay populatn of New Orleans reacted wh both nfn and image the street gossip: the adlit fire on rerd New Orleans history had stck a gay bar equented by men of both rac. The worker was helpg remove the charred bodi when he apparently uldn't face any But few straight New Orleanians were willg to acknowledge the cy’s large gay subculture the wake the disaster.

He would later take his own gay Mardi Gras krew, urted by powerful policians, ma no statements to the prs about iends and acquatanc who’d perished; not even their learship uld risk such openns. It’s worth qutng whether men like Café Lafte Exile owner Tommy Hopks, whose bar had been vised by UpStairs Lounge patron Reggie Adams weeks before, was ma bter or ls sympathetic towards the stctn of a petor bar whose racial attus had affected his stori on the fire the Tim-Piyune the next day didn’t e the word “homosexual” or “gay” to scribe the UpStairs Lounge patrons. UpStairs Lounge owner Phil Esteve, a whe gay New Orleanian, stood the ash of his bar that Tuday, two days after the fire, and cricized attempts by natnal gay lears to turn the UpStairs Lounge fire to a polil ll for Gay Liberatn and the ad to martyrs.