On Sunday June 24, 1973, dozens of patrons had gathered at the Up Stairs Lounge, a gay bar New Orleans when an arsonist set fire to the buildg.
Contents:
- A DEADLY ARSON AT A GAY BAR WAS NEVER OFFICIALLY SOLVED. A NEW PODST EXAM WHY.
- SEARCH RENEWED FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE
- NEW ORLEANS SEARCH FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE THAT KILLED 31
- BOOK REMEMBERS VASTATG 1973 FIRE AT GAY NEW ORLEANS BAR
- IN 1973, AN ARSON KILLED 32 PEOPLE AT A GAY BAR. FOR YEARS, IT WAS FOTTEN
- ARLGTON SU PROPERTY OWNER OF BURNED-DOWN GAY-IENDLY BAR
A DEADLY ARSON AT A GAY BAR WAS NEVER OFFICIALLY SOLVED. A NEW PODST EXAM WHY.
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 — three of them never intified. * gay bar on fire *
The Freep says that William Karagas first opened the Woodward 1954 and that over time began to attract ctomers om nearby Wayne State’s notable gay populatn.
The history of the LGBT muny metro Detro spans the cy’s past, but took new shape right after World War II when gay clubs began openg mostly downtown. Bettmann via Getty ImagThirty-two people died and 15 were jured a vastatg arson fire at the UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar New Orleans’ famed French Quarter, on June 24, 1973.
SEARCH RENEWED FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE
Compoundg the tragedy was the cy’s failure to properly vtigate or even publicly acknowledge the fire once beme known that the victims were gay. The man spected of startg the fire, Roger Dale Nunez, was himself believed to be gay and a equent visor to the UpStairs Lounge. Inditns of this disregard were seen almost immediately after was unrstood the UpStairs was a gay bar.
Whether we attribute that to a behd-the-tim culture of homophobia and bigotry, paired wh shame that may have been ternalized by queer folk which likely kept them quiet and trapped a proverbial closet ― the UpStairs Lounge was not a loud moment queer history, as we’ve e to thk of Stonewall, but no ls pivotal. Chargg anyone for this crime — pecially someone who for all tents and purpos was the clear perpetrator, was scribed as havg ma a threat to burn the bar down that night upon his expulsn, who matched the scriptn of someone who purchased a large n of lighter fluid at a nearby Walgreens mut before the fire was started (the exact same n which was later found at the scene of the crime), and who is alleged to have ma multiple nfsns to iends the aftermath — would have brought more attentn to the fire and to the liv of the gay men who perished .
While the alleged arsonist’s motiv and ame of md will forever be unknown, he was still someone who existed wh this muny and wasn’t an outsir attackg this place based solely on the fact that was a gay bar.
NEW ORLEANS SEARCH FOR REMAS OF 4 VICTIMS OF 1973 GAY BAR FIRE THAT KILLED 31
Several acunts of the UpStairs Lounge have likened to a “gay Cheers, ” a real place that you uld go where everybody knew your name.
BOOK REMEMBERS VASTATG 1973 FIRE AT GAY NEW ORLEANS BAR
They hoed Sunday church servic for the gay-clive MCC when they had no other place to worship, they staged theatril plays and held chary events for the lol children’s hospal, and they had drag shows and sg-a-long nights. And I thk part of the magic of queer spac (gay bars, dance clubs, etc.
IN 1973, AN ARSON KILLED 32 PEOPLE AT A GAY BAR. FOR YEARS, IT WAS FOTTEN
Sunday marks the 45th anniversary of the UpStairs Lounge arson, a flash fire that killed 32 people the New Orleans gay bar on June 24, 1973.
ARLGTON SU PROPERTY OWNER OF BURNED-DOWN GAY-IENDLY BAR
”But the UpStairs wasn’t jt a space for the New Orleans gay muny to e together and socialize. Some of those who were intified went unclaimed by fai who were too ashamed to llect the remas of their gay sons and brothers. Bettmann via Getty ImagWhat happened the aftermath of the fire mak clear the pervadg homophobia at the time.
“It took a good five or six years before I would fally walk to a gay bar, ” he said.