On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to the UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter, killing 32 people, making it the worst attack on the LGBTQ+ community until the 2016 massacre at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando. This is a view inside the UpStairs bar following a flash fire that left 29 dead and 15 injured, June 25, 1973. As Wes meets the larger than life lounge regulars, he learns what has been gained and lost in the fight for equality, and how the past can help guide all of us through an uncertain future. Prior to Pulse, there was the now largely forgotten 1973 arson fire at Upstairs, a gay bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter, which left 32 people dead.
Serving as a home, a church, and a gay dive-bar, the UpStairs Lounge was its own kind of paradise. He’s magically transported to its glory days: the UpStairs Lounge in 1973. UPSTAIRS INFERNO - Trailer 1 from Camina Entertainment on Vimeo.The View Upstairs opens in present day when Wes, a young fashion designer buys an abandoned space in the French Quarter of New Orleans. You can watch the trailer below (warning: contains graphic images and scenes of a disturbing nature - viewer discretion advised): Upstairs Inferno is available to stream on Amazon Prime in the UK and US now. He adds: "I’m grateful that Upstairs Inferno is now accessible in the UK and around the world via streaming platforms, because the victims, their loved ones and their stories should never be forgotten again." It is believed to be the largest killing of gay people in U.S. opened a gay bar, the Up Stairs Lounge.5 Buddy Rasmussen was brought on as the bartender/manager.6 The lounge was, as the name would suggest, upstairs. Bottom: 2021 Immersion student Allegra Montesano covers a march.
1973 gay bar new orleans movie#
Middle: Students discuss the movie Spotlight. In less than 20 minutes, 32 people were killed, dozens more critically injured and the ones who managed to escape watched helplessly as friends and lovers burned to death before their eyes. Top: Students conduct an interview while investigating the 1973 arson of a gay bar in New Orleans that killed 32. "I wanted to honor the victims and all those impacted by the tragedy, giving them the respect and dignity they were denied so many years ago." On June 24, 1973, a flash fire tore through a gay bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter. I wanted to humanize the story and put faces on the tragedy.įerris LeBlanc, one of the unclaimed victims of the Up Stairs Lounge attack. On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to a gay bar in New Orleans called the Up Stairs Lounge. He goes on: "Over five years ago, when I decided to tell this long overdue story, I didn’t want to make a film that was simply a stagnant exposition of facts. 32 Killed in Arson Fire At New Orleans Gay Bar: 1973. Because there definitely wasn't a lot of compassion when the deadly arson occurred." "We made the film hoping audiences would walk away from it with a renewed call for compassion: Compassion for those unlike us. "While Upstairs Inferno recounts a historic event that occurred in the US, its underlying message crosses cultural boundaries", says Camina. There are many bars and clubs that are especially geared toward the LGBTI community where everyone can go and have a good time. The French Quarter has a long tradition of embracing diversity. Circulating closer to the piano was George Bud Matyi, a semi-famous musician who performed under the name Buddy Stevens and appeared. Whether youre looking for a raucous dance club or a laidback watering hole, theres something for everyone in the Quarter.
1973 gay bar new orleans code#
Rooms overflowed, though the Lounge always seemed to keep within its fire code capacity of 110 people. Left: pictured with injuries in the aftermath of the fire (Image: Francis Dufrene) New Orleans Forty five years ago a fire in New Orleans gay bar took 32 lives and was met with apathy Book chronicles 1973 arson at gay club that barely made it into the papers, or even into the. A gay pied piper, Piano Dave played, and New Orleans’s gay working class turned out in force. Survivor Francis Dufrene (r) shares his story in 'Upstairs Inferno'. Camina, the award-winning film sees survivors, witnesses and friends share their own stories and those of the people who lost their, as they reflect on one of the deadliest tragedies in LGBT history. More than forty years since the tragey, some bravely shared their stories for an unflinching 2015 documentary, Upstairs Inferno, which is now available to stream in the UK on Amazon Prime.ĭirected by Robert L. At a time when homosexuality was still classified as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association, traumatised survivors had only each to turn to other for support.