Northeast Louisiana Pride

The Archives Project was proud to recently participate in NELA Pride. The festival took place in Monroe, Louisiana, and was the second annual Pride celebration for Northeast Louisiana. In addition to providing a resource table at the festival, the Archives Project also assisted NELA Pride organizers in staging an exhibit on Louisiana queer history. Also, Executive Director Frank Perez met with archivists from the University of Louisiana, Monroe, and the Ouachita Public Library regarding acquiring LGBT+ collections. Board President Kathleen Conlon is pictured above.

The New Orleans Central Business District Historic District Landmarks Commission voted recently (July 10, 2024) to unanimously designate 135 – 139 Chartres Street a historic landmark. This building was the site of the Up Stairs Lounge, a gay bar on the edge of the French Quarter, where a 1973 arson fire claimed thirty-two lives. The fire at the Up Stairs Lounge remains the deadliest fire in New Orleans history and until the 2016 Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida in 2016, it was the deadliest crime against LGBT+ people in the nation’s history. The New Orleans City Council still needs to approve the designation.

Save the Date

Our next New Orleans AIDS Memory Project (NOAMP) event will take place on August 8 at 7:00pm at the Dodwell House, 1519 Esplanade Ave. This dynamic panel discussion will focus on medical and service providers and feature Dr. Michael Kaiser, Dr. DeAnn Gruber, Katy Quigley, and Noel Twilbeck. Refreshments will be provided. Pictured above is our most recent NOAMP event, “Living Through the Crisis: People on the Front Lines.” Young and old alike gathered to hear personal, first-accounts of what it was like at the height of the AIDS epidemic. It was a powerful time of sharing and storytelling.  

Thank You!

Thank you to all our sustaining members! Your monthly donations are what enable us to do the important work of getting our history out of the closet. Sustaining members are people who give at least $10 a month (or a one-time gift of at least $120). Sustaining Members enjoy perks such as free admission to events like annual queer walking tours and catered social gatherings, as well as our annual Oracle Happening (which will be returning this year). Becoming a sustaining member is easy here.