“I can’t honor the victims without telling the story. “I wanted to preserve the story,” Camina says. They wanted to preserve the memories of the people who perished. When they pass away so will the memories of the people who died. “Some of the people in the film were originally apprehensive, but then realized the story needs to be told. “Some people I approached to interview didn’t want to talk about it because it brings up many painful memories,” Camina says. New Orleans Opening Times: Thursday Monday 12pm 10pm. Head upstairs for an aerial view of wine-lover’s paradise. They had to keep it bottled up, which makes it exponentially worse.” Preserving the story You can grab a bottle of wine, order cheese and vibe to live music in the torch lit ambiance. “Part of the tragedy of the Up Stairs Lounge arson is friends could not openly grieve because people would ask, Why are you grieving for gay people?,” Camina says. The reaction by the religious community, mayor, and the state, that level of callousness, does surprise me.” Friends couldn’t grieve “I can’t imagine the hurt and how lost they felt when their churches turned them away. They weren’t there for the families,” Camina says. “Some churches wouldn’t hold funerals for people. He could have made a statement of condolences. “The mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana didn’t acknowledge it,” Camina says. To this day, the Up Stairs fire is the most deadly fire in New Orleans history.” Victims, survivors ignored It did get front page coverage, but it soon started to fade into the newspaper and then it disappeared. “Some people were embarrassed because the prime suspect was a member of our community,” Camina says.
This was 1973.” (In January 1973, being gay had just been declassified as a mental health disorder.) “It wasn’t long afterward that an indifference appeared in the gay community. It didn’t spawn a revolution,” Camina says. “From talking with survivors and members of the New Orleans’ gay community, I got the impression that people were embarrassed and ashamed. Photo: “Upstairs Inferno.” Why the story has been unknown At the time, it was the largest mass murder of gay people in the United States. This photo shows the Up Stairs Lounge engulfed in fire on June 24, 1973. night in New Orleans, hate raged up the steps of a French Quarter gay bar. history.)ġ year later, Pulse nightclub survivor wants to change hearts, minds - the Upstairs Lounge fire in New Orleans and. I didn’t know, and that it wasn’t part of our gay history.” (This communication took place four years before the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016, which became the largest mass murder of LGBTQ people in U.S. “After my first film, ‘Raid of the Rainbow Lounge,’ came out in 2012, someone reached out to me and said, Have you ever heard of the Up Stairs fire? He said it was the largest gay massacre in U.S. In an interview with Q Voice News, Camina, 45, talks about learning about the Up Stairs Lounge fire, bringing dignity and honor to the survivors and victims, and why New Orleans’ officials and religious community leaders turned their backs on the survivors and victims’ families. The Up Stairs Lounge blaze remains the deadliest fire in New Orleans history. Four more people died in the days that followed the fire. When the inferno was extinguished 17 minutes later, firefighters found the bodies of 28 people who had burned to death in the arson attack 15 people also were injured.
Photo: “Upstairs Inferno.” 28 people burned to death We won't force you to come to the rescheduled date, we will get your money right back to you without hassle.In this early 1970s photo, a crowd of people enjoy time at the Up Stairs Lounge, a gay bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter. If any of our events need to be cancelled or postponed for any reason, all tickets holders will have the option for a refund.
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people.Įarn 2 Free Tickets by inviting your Facebook friends to the event. *Specials Will Be Listed The Week Of The Event!*Ī Portion Of Proceeds Will Be Donated To The Trevor Project The act of arson at the Up Stairs Lounge, a gay bar in the French Quarter, was the deadliest fire on record in New Orleans history and the largest mass killing. Vouchers Are Only Valid At The Venues Posted Below! * A Portion Of Proceeds Will Be Donated To The Trevor Project *Ĭlick GOING So You Don't Miss The Proudest Party Of The Year!Ģ+ Drinks Or Shots (Of Venues Choice, Redeem With Voucher)Ĭrawl With US Stadium Cup! (First 400 Check Ins)