News21 | July 9, 2018

While not a classified hate crime, the Upstairs Lounge Fire was the largest massacre of LGBTQ individuals pre-Pulse. Thirty-two people died in the fire 45 years ago after an arsonist, believed to be a disgruntled patron of the club, set fire to the stairs. A group of 200 New Orleans residents marched recently so people would remember its importance. Marchers reflected on the blatant LGBTQ discrimination that influenced the city’s response to the blaze.