The fire started in the stairwell, trapping people on the building's second floor, where the bar was located. Much of the history was swept from memory due to homophobia. No one was ever charged or convicted of the crime. On June 24, 1973, a fire ripped through the Up Stairs Lounge - a gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It was 45 years ago this Sunday that one of the worst attacks on the LGBTQ community left 32 people dead. Most of the victims were found near the windows in the background.ĭecades before the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 that claimed 49 lives, another deadly attack on LGBTQ Americans took place. A view inside the Up Stairs bar following a fire that left 32 dead and several more injured, seen on June 25, 1973.
