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Let the Faggots Burn: The UpStairs Lounge Fire
On Gay Pride Day in 1973, someone set the entrance to a French Quarter gay bar on fire. In the terrible inferno that followed, thirty-two people lost their lives, including a third of the local congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church, their pastor burning to death halfway out a second-story window as he tried to claw his way to freedom. A mother who'd gone to the bar with her two gay sons died alongside them. A man who'd helped his friend escape first was found dead near the fire escape. Two children waited outside of a movie theater across town for a father and step-father who would never pick them up. During this era of rampant homophobia, several families refused to claim the bodies, and many churches refused to bury the dead. Author Johnny Townsend pored through old records and tracked down survivors of the fire and relatives and friends of those killed to compile this fascinating account of a forgotten moment in gay history.
333 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
30 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 26, 2015
2012 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
November 22, 2013
Being from Nola, I've known of the tragedy that was the fire for as long as I can recall. This book, however, made it real; made it personal. It puts people to the names. It's a shame this event, and these lost souls, are as forgotten as they are. They were largely dismissed in life, and in their death - and it seems there legacy has also been long forgotten.
I don't know that I would say that it is a "good" book - or that I "enjoyed" reading it, but I am glad I did - and would recommend it to anyone - especially those of us now that enjoy the freedoms of being openly gay in today's society.
We really forget how good we DO have it now.
Raising a glass to those that paved the way - and those that perished - before us - and FOR us.
I don't know that I would say that it is a "good" book - or that I "enjoyed" reading it, but I am glad I did - and would recommend it to anyone - especially those of us now that enjoy the freedoms of being openly gay in today's society.
We really forget how good we DO have it now.
Raising a glass to those that paved the way - and those that perished - before us - and FOR us.
January 14, 2016
A good read on a little-known corner of history. The author leapt all over the country to different time periods to give the background on every person involved, but never lost me once -- quite an achievement. At the same time, there were far too many awkward phraseologies and passive constructions in here coming from a guy who said he was an English major in college. But this is just a quibble. Well worth a look.
September 30, 2021
wtf bro why there hate for gay people 🤬😡❌ we all love each other because we all human 💯🙏🏼🙏🏼
July 28, 2019
The upstairs fire is such a important event that few people have really heard of. This book was better than the other book about the subject I read. But it was really hard to find (I’m on a budget so it’s library and kindle unlimited for me lol). It was set up in what I felt was a unique style that took me a while to get into.
July 22, 2020
I'm really glad that this book was written so that the people who were lost to this tragedy and those who survived but lost friends and loved ones would be remembered. I am sad to say that I hadn't heard about this fire before I came across this book, and of course, the reason that it is a lost piece of history is appalling. Townsend took the time to do extensive research so that each and every human being involved could be remembered. It is definitely worth reading.
February 23, 2018
This book was recommended in a blog post about the fire, a largely forgotten episode in New Orleans history that wasn't terribly famous even at the time. It's becoming better known today in the push for greater awareness of LGBT issues and hate crimes, but what happened at the Upstairs doesn't neatly fit that narrative. It was a gay bar that tried to keep things friendly and mellow, the kind of place a straight man could feel comfortable and women sometimes accompanied their male friends. In fact, the only woman to die in the fire was a mother out drinking with her two gay sons. The other thing that sets it apart is that, though no one was ever officially charged with the arson murders of 31 gay men and a middle aged mom, it's not believed to be a hate crime. At least not anymore than any other anger-induced mass murder. Many of the survivors, witnesses, and associates believe the fire was set by a gay man and sometime patron who was thrown out for unruly behavior shortly before the fire started.
Townsend tells us early on that the arsonist was identified and later mentions that the arsonist committed suicide, long before identifying him by name. His story is included near the end, where we learn that he might not have done it after all, but the police believe he did, though the case is technically still open. Then we learn about a dozen other suspects, accused, and attention-seeking confessors previously unmentioned. Everything about Townsend's account is random that way.
Townsend's introduction explains the purpose behind his writing and publication--that he did most of his investigating and interviews between 1988 and 1991, and that his primary goal was to capture the personal stories of survivors before age and AIDS erased them. He waited until 2011 to publish, apparently hoping a better book would come out, and when it didn't he gave us his version so those stories would live on. And I applaud that. I just wish I could applaud it with more than 3 stars.
The problem is that the narrative is presented almost randomly and there are way too many characters introduced to so little purpose they should have been saved for endnotes. There are actually a lot of things that should have gone into endnotes, and another problem is that are no endnotes. The initial chapter is solid, introducing the main players and culminating in the fire. Then it switches to individual life stories, beginning with where each man was born and when and who his parents are and what they did for a living, followed in some cases by their entire personal and sexual histories. None of these stories end in the bar until we abruptly come to a man about whom almost nothing is known and his entire two page story is his birth, height, weight, profession. and precisely how little of him remained after the fire. Then it's back to lengthy, semi-relevant narratives that end with the subject talking about going to the Upstairs, or perhaps actually walking in.
The short, shocking stories are scattered throughout, as if Townsend wanted to discuss every victim individually but didn't have anything to say about some of them beyond the percentage of 2nd and 3rd degree burns and the location of any remaining skin. I get what he's doing, but it's disruptive and doesn't move the overall narrative forward. These should have been given their own chapter in a section on the aftermath. Instead the whole thing is totally disjointed and at times virtually incoherent. There's even an entire chapter about the various photographers and their reactions to the scene, in a book with no photos at all.
I want to say the author simply can't write, but he is also a fiction writer and to be fair I'd have to try one of his novels, too. Also, in total fairness, he did warn us that this isn't his thing and he originally didn't intend to publish it. Altogether, it's worth the read and I don't regret the time or money spent. But I also intend to read The Upstairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar by Clayton Delery-Edwards, published in 2014. My hope is that Townsend's book served as a source for Delery-Edwards, and that the latter is a more skilled writer of non-fiction.
Townsend tells us early on that the arsonist was identified and later mentions that the arsonist committed suicide, long before identifying him by name. His story is included near the end, where we learn that he might not have done it after all, but the police believe he did, though the case is technically still open. Then we learn about a dozen other suspects, accused, and attention-seeking confessors previously unmentioned. Everything about Townsend's account is random that way.
Townsend's introduction explains the purpose behind his writing and publication--that he did most of his investigating and interviews between 1988 and 1991, and that his primary goal was to capture the personal stories of survivors before age and AIDS erased them. He waited until 2011 to publish, apparently hoping a better book would come out, and when it didn't he gave us his version so those stories would live on. And I applaud that. I just wish I could applaud it with more than 3 stars.
The problem is that the narrative is presented almost randomly and there are way too many characters introduced to so little purpose they should have been saved for endnotes. There are actually a lot of things that should have gone into endnotes, and another problem is that are no endnotes. The initial chapter is solid, introducing the main players and culminating in the fire. Then it switches to individual life stories, beginning with where each man was born and when and who his parents are and what they did for a living, followed in some cases by their entire personal and sexual histories. None of these stories end in the bar until we abruptly come to a man about whom almost nothing is known and his entire two page story is his birth, height, weight, profession. and precisely how little of him remained after the fire. Then it's back to lengthy, semi-relevant narratives that end with the subject talking about going to the Upstairs, or perhaps actually walking in.
The short, shocking stories are scattered throughout, as if Townsend wanted to discuss every victim individually but didn't have anything to say about some of them beyond the percentage of 2nd and 3rd degree burns and the location of any remaining skin. I get what he's doing, but it's disruptive and doesn't move the overall narrative forward. These should have been given their own chapter in a section on the aftermath. Instead the whole thing is totally disjointed and at times virtually incoherent. There's even an entire chapter about the various photographers and their reactions to the scene, in a book with no photos at all.
I want to say the author simply can't write, but he is also a fiction writer and to be fair I'd have to try one of his novels, too. Also, in total fairness, he did warn us that this isn't his thing and he originally didn't intend to publish it. Altogether, it's worth the read and I don't regret the time or money spent. But I also intend to read The Upstairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar by Clayton Delery-Edwards, published in 2014. My hope is that Townsend's book served as a source for Delery-Edwards, and that the latter is a more skilled writer of non-fiction.
October 10, 2012
An important - if forgotten - moment in gay history erased by lack of exposure.
January 8, 2013
Very sad true story in which personal friends died or were injured! A terrible tragedy in which many So-called ignored for they forgot to ASK WHAT WOULD JESUS DO! and they forget MARK 12: 28-31
July 22, 2019
This was not a cohesively written book but it's an unknown disaster that people should know about.
November 21, 2025
Having read Tinderbox, I was interested to read other books about the UpStairs lounge fire, especially those heavily quoted by Fieseler. I decided to start with this one as it is the earliest both in writing and in (self)publication. Originally written in 1989-1990, Townsend is clearly passionate about informing people about this tragedy, and he offers a unique historical perspective. However, from a writing and structural perspective, this is a poor showing. Even in a nonfiction book narrative cohesion is vital to covering information, and this book has none. Every chapter jumps randomly about in time and subject. Some are detailed accounts of individual patrons of the UpStairs, victims, injured parties, lovers of those injured or killed, and other related persons. These biographca insights are incredibly detailed, recounting past lovers, jobs, and educational ventures. Other chapters focus on the fire itself, and the least time dedicated is to the fire's aftermath. Really the biggest flaw of this book is the complete lack of editorial work, which is evident by the uneven structure, level of personality in the writing, and trimming of superfluous details. I understand wanting to memorialise the victims but hearing every person's address, school attendance, and every dollar amount of donation received by the emergency funds was too much. I admire the passion by the author and it is certainly interesting as a historical artifact, but both as an account of the fire and as a history book is fails to be anywhere near the quality of Tinderbox.
December 20, 2020
Whew this was a hard read... The tragedy that took place here is beyond imaginable. Yet here it is... On a recent trip to New Orleans my wife and I visited the site. A heavy, sadness followed by anger weighed on me as we stood at three plaque in the sidewalk...
Want to read
January 19, 2021The movie, Upstairs Inferno, gives a heartfelt look into this event as well.
February 15, 2021
Horrific true story
September 29, 2021
God book but so racist and mean 😠 😡 😡 😡💀💯
April 4, 2013
3.5 stars
To see my full review:
http://wp.me/p1jhaj-3hq
One of the deadliest crimes against the LGBT population in American history occurred on June 24, 1973, an event that, at the time, was widely swept under the rug, hushed, and forgotten. Thirty-two people—husbands, wives, friends, lovers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters—died that day in the Upstairs Lounge Fire, a fire that quickly cut off the only stairwell exit and trapped the 60+ patrons celebrating in the gay bar that day. Townsend’s novel is a history of sorts, giving a voice to the many that died in the fire, though it is untraditional in that Townsend has limited records to show his research. Many of his interview dates and times went undocumented, and thus, the novel cannot be classified as a “true history,” though he does provide a bibliography for further research for inquiring minds. As Townsend states in his forward, he wrote much of this novel in 1989-90, a time before the internet, and as an English major, focused more so on telling the story than documenting his sources. Thus, this novel, while historic, is more of a memorial commemorating the lives that were lost that day.
Let the Faggots Burn is told in a series of vignettes, shedding background information on the bar, it’s patrons, survivors, media attention (or lack thereof), and the response of the world at large. It was a time when homophobia was rampant and, in light of the massacre, many wanted to forget, refusing even to claim the bodies of their loved ones through dread of stigma. It’s a very sad account, but it also gives life to the patrons’ memories, those that no longer have a voice, those that should be heard.
Townsend begins with the fire, then spends many vignettes familiarizing readers with each individual patron that died. While this writing style leaves the chapters unconnected, in a way, it also brings everything together as most of the chapters all lead up to the events of the fire. To break up the sole focus on the victims, though, interspersed are chapters that focus on the before and after as well, such as how the bar got its start, what happened to unidentified bodies, the injured, the lawsuit that followed, the churches response, and the survivors. While some of it reads as a history text-book, much of the novel is written in a “story-like” fashion, allowing reads to connect with the characters and events as they unfold. It is impossible not to feel anger, sadness, horror, and even terror as Townsend paints the portraits of the people who lost their lives and those who lost their loved ones in this fateful, awful event, and I, for one, hope the world never forgets. Three and a half stars.
To see my full review:
http://wp.me/p1jhaj-3hq
One of the deadliest crimes against the LGBT population in American history occurred on June 24, 1973, an event that, at the time, was widely swept under the rug, hushed, and forgotten. Thirty-two people—husbands, wives, friends, lovers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters—died that day in the Upstairs Lounge Fire, a fire that quickly cut off the only stairwell exit and trapped the 60+ patrons celebrating in the gay bar that day. Townsend’s novel is a history of sorts, giving a voice to the many that died in the fire, though it is untraditional in that Townsend has limited records to show his research. Many of his interview dates and times went undocumented, and thus, the novel cannot be classified as a “true history,” though he does provide a bibliography for further research for inquiring minds. As Townsend states in his forward, he wrote much of this novel in 1989-90, a time before the internet, and as an English major, focused more so on telling the story than documenting his sources. Thus, this novel, while historic, is more of a memorial commemorating the lives that were lost that day.
Let the Faggots Burn is told in a series of vignettes, shedding background information on the bar, it’s patrons, survivors, media attention (or lack thereof), and the response of the world at large. It was a time when homophobia was rampant and, in light of the massacre, many wanted to forget, refusing even to claim the bodies of their loved ones through dread of stigma. It’s a very sad account, but it also gives life to the patrons’ memories, those that no longer have a voice, those that should be heard.
Townsend begins with the fire, then spends many vignettes familiarizing readers with each individual patron that died. While this writing style leaves the chapters unconnected, in a way, it also brings everything together as most of the chapters all lead up to the events of the fire. To break up the sole focus on the victims, though, interspersed are chapters that focus on the before and after as well, such as how the bar got its start, what happened to unidentified bodies, the injured, the lawsuit that followed, the churches response, and the survivors. While some of it reads as a history text-book, much of the novel is written in a “story-like” fashion, allowing reads to connect with the characters and events as they unfold. It is impossible not to feel anger, sadness, horror, and even terror as Townsend paints the portraits of the people who lost their lives and those who lost their loved ones in this fateful, awful event, and I, for one, hope the world never forgets. Three and a half stars.
June 18, 2015
This book was disturbing to me in so many ways but still an excellent book. I read it in tandem with "The Up Stairs Lounge Arson" going back an forth. I would give this book a 5+ and the arson book a 5- mainly because this was the more personable book. I'm not naive enough to think that stories weren't embellished as they were remembered and passed along, but it still gives you a very good idea of who all the people were involved with the tragedy and gives you a feeling of "knowing them".
It hit a nerve with me because I started going out to gay bars about 2 years after this happened and I remember being in crowded bars (some on the second and third floors) with one exit, narrow stairs and lots and lots of flammable decorations. Also anyone in my age bracket (somewhere around 60 :) can identify and remember knowing someone just like almost all the victims in this book. Each city/town had their own gay bar/bars like the Upstairs Lounge, complete with the "home crowd" that supported it and each other. The bars really were a social clubs back then, not just a bar.
Anyone that is gay or has gay friends, co-workers or family members should read "Let The Faggots Burn." THIS is what it's all about when you see the big flamboyant parades, rainbow flags and Pride events. It's because some of us remember there was a time when families would not claim their dead relatives because they were gay, churches would not bury them or even allow them to be buried in their grave yard.
It hit a nerve with me because I started going out to gay bars about 2 years after this happened and I remember being in crowded bars (some on the second and third floors) with one exit, narrow stairs and lots and lots of flammable decorations. Also anyone in my age bracket (somewhere around 60 :) can identify and remember knowing someone just like almost all the victims in this book. Each city/town had their own gay bar/bars like the Upstairs Lounge, complete with the "home crowd" that supported it and each other. The bars really were a social clubs back then, not just a bar.
Anyone that is gay or has gay friends, co-workers or family members should read "Let The Faggots Burn." THIS is what it's all about when you see the big flamboyant parades, rainbow flags and Pride events. It's because some of us remember there was a time when families would not claim their dead relatives because they were gay, churches would not bury them or even allow them to be buried in their grave yard.
July 13, 2014
On Gay Pride Day, June 24, 1973, 32 people lost their lives in a horrific fire that engulfed a gay bar in New Orleans.
This 2011 book -- based on interviews conducted 16-17 years after the fire, but not published for 20 more years after those interviews -- offers an important record of a terrible tragedy.
Overlapping personal histories and memories form the basis of each of the brief chapters. More than simply the story of one tragic night, the book offers glimpses into gay American life in the 1950s, '60s, and early '70s. The lack of a scholarly historical approach (apologized for by the author) in no way hinders the importance of these records.
The author is clearly a story teller (he was a graduate student in English when he conducted and wrote up the interviews) as each short chapter is a miniature moving narrative. Ordering these nearly 50 chapters posed numerous challenges and I think the authored made many excellent choices and a few weaker ones (for the sake of the overall narrative structure).
A shorter, more academic, treatment of the UpStairs Lounge Fire is newly available (three years after the appearance of Townsend's book) and I am anxious to compare its approach. I will be surprised if it matches the intimate impact of the stories told here.
This 2011 book -- based on interviews conducted 16-17 years after the fire, but not published for 20 more years after those interviews -- offers an important record of a terrible tragedy.
Overlapping personal histories and memories form the basis of each of the brief chapters. More than simply the story of one tragic night, the book offers glimpses into gay American life in the 1950s, '60s, and early '70s. The lack of a scholarly historical approach (apologized for by the author) in no way hinders the importance of these records.
The author is clearly a story teller (he was a graduate student in English when he conducted and wrote up the interviews) as each short chapter is a miniature moving narrative. Ordering these nearly 50 chapters posed numerous challenges and I think the authored made many excellent choices and a few weaker ones (for the sake of the overall narrative structure).
A shorter, more academic, treatment of the UpStairs Lounge Fire is newly available (three years after the appearance of Townsend's book) and I am anxious to compare its approach. I will be surprised if it matches the intimate impact of the stories told here.
June 15, 2016
The arson fire at the Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans has been a largely forgotten and tragic piece of US gay history. Author Townsend seeks to bring it into greater awareness with this book. The account is a bit chaotic in its organization, but that's probably because Townsend had a lot of information to juggle: biographies of the victims and survivors, the fire itself, the aftermath, and how the survivors were doing years later. It's a very sad story but one that I'm thankful I read.
May 8, 2014
Great read!
Although the book is not your typical read, I found it very interesting to learn about the people involved with the fire (survivors and victims alike) as well as the attitudes of the various people and various organisations after the fire. I enjoyed how the author wrote it so that the reader gets to know each person.
I also intend to check out some of the sources give at the end of the book.
Although the book is not your typical read, I found it very interesting to learn about the people involved with the fire (survivors and victims alike) as well as the attitudes of the various people and various organisations after the fire. I enjoyed how the author wrote it so that the reader gets to know each person.
I also intend to check out some of the sources give at the end of the book.
September 20, 2014
Not just a story about a fire in New Orleans that killed 32 people in 1973, this is the story of those 32 individuals who had lives, and dreams, and friends, and families. The author apologizes for not having all the proper documentation for his interviews, but it doesn't diminish the realness of the victims or the reality of the tragedy. The title comes from a comment overheard while the fire was raging.....
November 2, 2015
This one took me awhile to get through. It was very interesting, but pretty tragic subject matter. I had never heard of this fire and really regret not knowing about this before my trip to New Orleans earlier this year. I would have stopped by to pay my respects.
March 5, 2015
Words are fruitless. History is learned. Will read again, because love New Orleans French Quarter, and community. What a current comment on today's world.\
August 9, 2015
Heartwrenching on so many levels.
July 14, 2016
Chapters linking into chapters, stories into stories, lives into lives. I'm not sure how I feel about the overall quality of the writing/editing, but it told the tale well.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews