In the early 1970s, there was a gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans called the Upstairs Lounge. At the time, there weren’t many safe spaces for the LGBT+ community so the owners of the Upstairs Lounge created a refuge. On June 24, 1973, the Upstairs Lounge buzzer sounded and Buddy the bartender sent someone to answer the door. As this man opened the door, a fireball burst into the bar and within minutes, the walls were engulfed in flames. Thirty-two people died as a result of this fire and many more were injured.
This would become the deadliest fire in New Orleans history. Normally, a crime of this magnitude would be covered by the press persistently, but that wasn't the case for the Upstairs Lounge arson. Nobody wanted to report on the story simply because it was a gay bar. The way the victims and survivors of this attack were treated in the media and even by investigators is horrific and some families of the victims are still struggling to get justice to this day.
Come along with Hannah and Bob as they discuss Bob’s autobiography, Hannah’s shattered glass phobia, and learning about the Saints.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions of arson, homicide, and general disrespect of the LGBT+ community. Listener discretion is advised.
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Sources:
ABC News. (2018, June 28). Prejudice and pride: Revisiting the tragic fire that killed 32 in a New Orleans gay bar [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPWrK9Pu7Gk&t=4s
Dias, E. & Downs, J. (2013, July 1). The horror upstairs. Time. https://time.com/4365509/the-horror-upstairs/
Kuhn, K. (2025, June 24). 52 years later, New Orleans remembers Upstairs Lounge arson victims. WWL. https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/new-orleans-upstairs-lounge-fire-52nd-anniversary-plaque-lgbtq-gay-lesbian-history-culture-community/289-76817b08-e81d-4931-9399-703a9b1f4a55
LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. (n.d.). The UpStairs Lounge fire. LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. https://lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org/the-upstairs-lounge-fire/
McConnaughey, J. (2022, August 8). New Orleans renews search for remains of UpStairs Lounge fire. WWL. https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/search-renewed-remains-4-victims-upstairs-lounge-fire/289-af57432e-016f-4f58-bd3f-903ec51b6f9a
Perez, F. (n.d.). Ferris LeBlanc and the Up Stairs Lounge fire 50 years later. French Quarter Journal. https://www.frenchquarterjournal.com/archives/ferris-leblanc-and-the-up-stairs-lounge-fire-50-years-later
Tabone, E. (2023, June 25). ‘We found him - it’s horrible’ - For 42 years the family of a WW2 vet didn’t know he died in N.O. WWL. https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/new-orleans-upstairs-lounge-fire-lgbtq-ferris-leblanc/289-9cb10cec-29e9-45a1-b4df-b265cb0bd842
https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/upstairs-lounge-fire/gallery?early-gay-activism#
