A ‘fotten tragedy’ at a New Orleans gay bar and a new effort to honor victims’ remas | PBS NewsHour

Contents:

• THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL
• IN EXILE: THE HISTORY AND LORE SURROUNDG NEW ORLEANS GAY CULTURE AND ITS OLST BAR (NOLA GAY)
• A ‘FOTTEN TRAGEDY’ AT A NEW ORLEANS GAY BAR AND A NEW EFFORT TO HONOR VICTIMS’ REMAS
• OUT OF THE PAST: 32 KILLED IN HORRIFIC FIREBOMBG OF GAY BAR (1973)

THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL

New Orleans has always been a cy that champned the arts and celebrated culture, which has fostered a lively gay social scene and drew many LGBTQ artists and performers to the French Quarter, home to Café Lafte Exile, one of Ameri’s olst gay bars.

The longt nng gay event, the Fat Monday Luncheon, kicked off 1949, and the olst gay social anizatn, the Steamboat Club, was lnched 1953. Mardi Gras fostered s own gay tradns wh the Krewe of Yuga, the first gay Carnival club formed 1958. Notable gay lols and rints clud Tennsee Williams, who me here 1938 and wrote “A Streetr Named Dire” om his home at 1014 Dumae St.

Gay Pri Contt 1981, long before she me out publicly 1997.

IN EXILE: THE HISTORY AND LORE SURROUNDG NEW ORLEANS GAY CULTURE AND ITS OLST BAR (NOLA GAY)

A climate of change across the Uned Stat fomented gay activism the early 1970s New Orleans as well, wh groups like the Gay Liberatn Front of New Orleans, a lol chapter of the natnal lbian anizatn, Dghters of Bilis, gay pri events and the foundg of the Tulane Universy Gay Stunts Unn.

The Gert Ste Society, which began 1975, brought together a group of men and women who were stmental velopg an active muny astcture the 1980s: the Louisiana Gay Polil Actn Cc (1980), the State Gay Conference (1981), the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chos and a lol chapter of P-FLAG (both 1982), and the NO/AIDS Task Force (1983). LGBT rights were (fally) regnized by New Orleans Cy Council 1991, wh the passg of a gay non-discrimatn ordance.

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

In honor of the cy's biggt gay party -- Southern Dence, happeng now -- we asked lol gay historian Frank Perez to tell about four of the cy's most unfettable gay landmarks. Ann streets -- The Bourbon Street Awards and Gay CarnivalThis tersectn is the se of a popular feature of gay rnival New Orleans: the Bourbon Street Awards, which is a ntt featurg elaborate Carnival stum. The morn rnatn of gay Carnival began 1958 when Doug Jon and a group of his iends formed the Krewe of Yuga --KY -- as a spoof of the mastream krew.

On the night of the ball, the Metairie suburban beme somewhat alarmed when they noticed dozens of gay men streamg to the school.

Of the mayhem, Albert Carey, a historian of the gay Armei krewe, wr, "One story has the Queen hidg the bh as the troopers me through wh their flashlights. Other gay krew were formed subsequent years.

OUT OF THE PAST: 32 KILLED IN HORRIFIC FIREBOMBG OF GAY BAR (1973)

Today there are seven gay Carnival krew New Orleans. In 1973 the send floor of the buildg hoed a gay bar lled the Up Stairs Lounge.

On Sunday eveng, June 24, 1973, the adlit crime agast gays and lbians the history of the Uned Stat, until this year's Orlando massacre, occurred here. On that night, an arsonist set the gay bar on fire, killg 32 people and jurg more.

Many people, then and now, mistakenly believe the fire was a hate crime motivated by homophobia. -- Cafe Lafte ExileCafe Lafte Exile is the olst gay bar New Orleans and arguably the olst ntuoly operatg gay bar North Ameri.

Back then, gay bars as we know them now did not exist, as homosexualy was illegal, but the owners of Cafe Lafte (one of whom was a lbian) were open-md and weled their gay clientele.

The bar was as gay-iendly as the tim would perm. In 1953 the buildg me unr a new owner who did not want gay people the bar.