The 2020 Up Stairs Lounge Fire Memorial Service
June 2020
On the 47th anniversary of an arson fire that killed 32 LGBT+ people in the French Quarter, the weather reflected the mood of the mourners.
photography by Andrew Simoneaux
About 50 people gathered at the site of the Up Stairs Lounge arson on the 47th anniversary of the deadliest fire in New Orleans history. On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to the gay bar located at Iberville and Chartres Street, killing 32 people. Until the Pulse massacre in Orlando in 2016, it was the deadliest crime against LGBT+ people in U.S. history.
The commemoration ceremony was organized by the Crescent City Leathermen and included three speakers: The Very Rev.of St. George’s Episcopal Church, Richard Easterling, historian Frank Perez, and the Rev. Lonnie Cheramie of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). Many of the men who died in the fire were members of the MCC, including its pastor, the Rev. Bill Larson.
For those who want to learn more about the Up Stairs fire and how it changed the LGBT+ community in New Orleans, Frank suggests these books: Robert Fieseler's Tinderbox, Clay Delery's The Up Stairs Lounge Arson, and Johnny Townsend's Let the Faggots Burn.
Help support our creative team –
become a member of our Readers’ Circle now!