At the time, local police did not consider the tragedy a top priority. One officer told a reporter, “This was, after all, a queer bar.” No elected official responded publicly to the fire. Archbishop Philip Hannan denied the victims Catholic funerals. Radio commentators joked that the victims’ remains should be buried in fruit jars. The arson at the Up Stairs Lounge remains officially unsolved despite being the deadliest crime against LGBT+ people in US history until the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando.

See this page for more detailed information about the UpStairs Lounge Fire.

See this page for our online archive of images related to the UpStairs Lounge Fire.

In 2023, a 50th anniversary commemoration will document and share this overlooked event with the community and honor the victims and their families.

New Orleans renews search for remains of 4 victims in UpStairs Lounge fire Janet McConnaughey / Associated Press (wwltv.com)

Remembering the Upstairs Lounge fire Mike McDaniel / Eyewitness News (WWL) (wwltv.com)

Council to recognize victims of horrific Upstairs Lounge fire 49 years later Tom Planchet / WWLTV.com (wwltv.com)

Haunting memories as N.O. council honors victims of UpStairs Lounge fire Lily Cummings WWL-TV (wwltv.com)

LGBTQ+ rights and looking back 49 years later after Up Stairs Lounge disaster (fox8live.com)

City Council considers resolution honoring LGBTQ victims in UpStairs Lounge arson attack Michaela Romero (wgno.com)

UpStairs Lounge arson attack (wikipedia.org)

50 years after deadly Up Stairs Lounge fire: New Orleans LGBTQ+ community still seeks answers Carlie Kollath Wells (axios.com)

‘Bury Them in Fruit Jars.’ A Gay Mass Murder and the Coverup that Followed Daniel Villarreal (lgbtqnation.com)

Courtesy of the Special Collections Division, Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans

Images from the UpStairs Lounge Fire, courtesy of Johnny Townsend

See this page for more detailed information about the Up Stairs Lounge Fire.

Original UpStairs Lounge photos in Wayne Phillips collection

Articles
50 Years Ago, the Fire at the Up Stairs Lounge Gay Bar in New Orleans Killed 32 Alex Cooper / The Advocate(advocate.com)

Honoring the Legacy of New Orleans’ 1973 UpStairs Lounge Fire Robert Fieseler/Washington Blade (washingtonblade.com)

A Deadly Arson At A Gay Bar Was Never Officially Solved. A New Podcast Examines Why Moorhouse, Drusilla/Huffington Post (huffpost.com)

50 Years Later, the UpStairs Lounge Fire is More Important than Ever Andrew Sciallo/The Nation (thenation.com)

The UpStairs Lounge Fire in New Orleans Was a Deadly Attack on the Local LGBTQ+ Community Shahamat Uddin/Teen Vogue (teenvogue.com)

Family of Veteran Killed in 1973 New Orleans Fire Trying to Recover Remains Ramon Antonio Vargas/The Guardian(theguardian.com)

Radio Interview
On 50th Anniversary of the UpStairs Lounge Fire, a Look at LGBTQ+ History in New Orleans Alana Shreiber/New Orleans Public Radio (wwno.org)

Podcasts
From Stonewall to today: LGBTQ+ moments of resilience Wayne Edwards, Kevin Chang Barnum, Khalilah Brown-Dean, Meg Dalton, Catie Talarski (ctpublic.org)
50 Years of Remembering the Up Stairs Lounge Fire Catherine Cooper speaks with Bobby Fieseler (nps.gov)

Thirty-two people from the LGBT community were burned to death, but officials failed to act in the ensuing days to help the victims or find their families. Churches refused burial services, and many were buried in Potter’s Field.

Produced by: Valda Lewis
Production assistant: Vanessa Lewis
Field camera: Rick Delaup

Below is a collection of other videos collected during the 50th Anniversary Commemoration.