42 years ago this month
something terrible happened, but you won't hear about it on Fox News or any
other news station. In fact, it was barely even covered when it happened on
June 24th, 1973. As we come up on gay pride weekend here in Los Angeles (June 12-14),
I think it’s important to remember a time when people weren’t able to freely
celebrate whom they are and the way they were born. Young people in Los Angeles
and around the country may not know that just a few decades ago, there were
extremely few if any spots where people from the LGBT community could go and feel safe.
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| Pictures taken after the murder. |
Such was the case
in New Orleans in 1973. In fact, gay slurs, hateful insults and violence were
commonplace. However, the gay community celebrated their pride festival that
year on Sunday the 24th in a second-floor bar on the corner of Iberville and
Charles Street, named the UpStairs Lounge. I can personally attest that it is
an incredible feeling to actually feel safe and not judged in an place even if
you don't feel the same way in the entire surrounding area. In that one spot
you are free; by all accounts this is what the attendees of the last day of the
pride festival were experiencing. Laughter filled the room as all enjoyed their
brief moment of happiness that was soon to be cut short. A ring came at the
door that opened onto a long flight of stairs leading to the ground floor.
Unsuspecting of the nightmare that would ensue, Luther Boggs answered the door;
what followed would be unimaginable horror for the 60 or so individuals that
were inside. The steps were on fire and soaked with Ronsonol lighter fluid. The
fire spread uncontrollably and left a group of people scrambling to squeeze
through the metal bars of the UpStairs Lounge windows.
The bars were only 14
inches apart as they were originally designed to keep people from falling out. Some
managed to squeeze through to jump to their deaths but other like, Rev. Bill
Larson died, screaming, “Oh, God, no!” As shown below, Larson was left by New Orleans
P.D. fused to the window until the following morning.
All in all, thirty-two
people lost their lives Sunday the 24th, 42 years ago. Among the dead were Inez
Warren and her two gay sons, Eddie and Jim Warren. The bravery of that mother
to attend gay pride with her two gays sons is truly moving and it makes the way
she died in agony all the more heart wrenching. But the tragedy doesn’t end
with the actual murder, it continues with the way the homophobic, ultra“Christian” community reacted to the atrocity. Bodies lay in mortuaries, Refused to be claimed due to the shame that would ensure from having a gay son or daughter, several remained permanently unclaimed. Pressure was also put on
local reverends to NOT participate in any kind of funeral or memorial relating
to the case, as acknowledging the pain of the victims would have been too
dignified and undeserved by the gay community.
However against the hate, Rev.
William Richardson agreed to hold a small prayer service for the victims. For
his compassion, he received hate mail and was formally rebuked by Episcopalian
Church leadership. But it doesn’t stop there. News agencies made light of the
fact that the majority of the victims were gay and instead painted the story as
an accident, refusing to even call it arson. One talk-radio host commented,
“What do we bury them in? Fruit jars?” The snubs came from all around.
The governor and every other civil authority leader declined to speak
publicly about the tragedy and decided instead to pretend it never happened.
The police made no real effort to find the murderer and no one was ever
charged. I think it’s important to tell this story because we have to remember
the struggle and the pain that those who came before us went through. We have
to remember that change didn’t just happen, people fought and died to make the
world the way we have it today and I want to take the opportunity to say, that “you
are missed” to those who died 42 years ago. Their deaths won’t be
forgotten.
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