![]() There were other failures and missteps as well, brought on by the suspicious infighting, misconceptions, and “bubble” mentality that plagued the New Orleans gay community, a community which suddenly found itself confronting a fledgling national gay protest movement and the MCC Church with its hunger for gay souls, more visibility, and more congregants. One burned body sat in the middle of the street for passersby to gawk over. The charred corpses of the victims were furthermore left on display for hours through the thoughtlessness of officials and first responders, and the press corps was allowed to wander through the site and take photos. To make matters worse, a slow response from the fire department ended in confusion over the location of the bar, its layout, its fire exits, and the need for proper equipment to help the victims escape. And yet, in 1973, Fieseler details how the Lounge disaster for the most part was swept under the rug its cause worsened by the negligence and indifference to the fire codes in the Vieux Carré’s gay ghetto an investigation bungled by the ineptitude and bias of the police and fire departments a local and national American press burying the story on the back pages a mayor who stayed mostly AWOL and silent and a closeted gay community that became too afraid to take a stand. It was, at that time, the largest mass murder of gays in American history, until Omar Mateen killed 49 LGBT people in 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Thirty-one men and one woman lost their lives in the Up Stairs Lounge fire. The 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting loomed large in my conscience as I read this book. Fieseler analyzes his tale from many angles, in the process of which he succeeds in indicting the failures of many institutions: the New Orleans police department, the fire department, the mayor and the mayor’s office, the local and national press, the Church, Anita Bryant, the military, and the many closeted citizens around the country looking to “maintain the status quo.” Indeed, the broader implications, political, spiritual and personal in this story, still resonate to this day. ![]() More than a tale of one heinous tragedy, Fieseler, by way of meticulous research and survivor interviews, enlarges the scope of his history to create a sadly damning account of the workings of homophobia and the closet at that time in American history. In fact, the story of how he miraculously eluded the law, time and again, by pure chance, a lover’s fear of being outed, a sham marriage, and the general incompetence of the police, makes for a fascinating story in its own right. ![]() Due to the ineptitude and prejudice of the times, and the fact that he committed suicide years later before he could be arraigned and justice served, the case was closed. Two patrons reportedly overheard Nunez shout: “I’m going to burn you all out,” or “I’m going to burn this place to the ground.” Nunez almost certainly came back later that evening to make good on his promise, although his crime was never officially proven. When requested to leave, Nunez became enraged, an altercation ensued, and Nunez was punched in the face and then physically ejected. Nunez had tried to hustle one of the clients at the bar, breaking a time-honored rule. The Jarson of the gay bar the Up Stairs Lounge in New Orleans was apparently an act of revenge, allegedly perpetrated by a ne’er-do-well, small-time crook and alcoholic gay hustler named Roger Dale Nunez. ‘Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation’ by Robert W.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |