Part of a series of articles titled Finding Our Place: LGB Heritage in the United States.
Article • Finding Our Place: LGB Heritage in the United States
LGB Memorials: UpStairs Lounge Arson Attack, New Orleans, LA

Times Picayune
When news cameras converged outside of the church, attendees chose to walk out of the services with pride, rather than succumb to the hateful pressure that they had been put under. The connection forged with Reverend Kennedy, who was a Black man, and the refusal to be publicly shamed in the wake of a tragic hate crime galvanized a fierce sense of pride among the LGB community of New Orleans; many call the event the "Stonewall of the South." Thirty years after the incident, a memorial plaque was placed in the sidewalk below the building's fire escape.
Last updated: February 20, 2025