June 24th marks the anniversary of the UpStairs Lounge fire where 32 people died on a Sunday afternoon in 1973. An arsonist set fire to this New Orleans gay bar and up until the Pulse Nightclub shooting, this was the largest murder of gay people in the United States.
The aftermath was just as disturbing. There was no outrage by politicians or police and no one was arrested even though there was credible information linking the fires to one man. Because the dead were mainly gay people, the subject was quickly forgotten by the newspapers.
There have been a few documentaries produced on the UpStairs Lounge fire.
ABC releases documentary on anniversary of deadly UpStairs Lounge fire
You can read more about the UpStairs Lounge fire through one of the many books written on the subject.
Let the Faggots Burn: The UpStairs Lounge Fire
Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation
The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973
And of course, there are numerous articles about the UpStairs Lounge fire online.
We should never forget.