A church is just a building that should be taxed, but a bar is a holy place

[dane]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023084851

William769 (30,920 posts)

When A Gay Holy Place Burned In New Orleans
How many times in the past 40 years have you heard about the Upstairs Lounge fire in New Orleans? Sadly, probably not many, and certainly not enough. Even though 32 people died, making it the largest mass murder of gay people in American history, this incident is woefully unknown. So, for your edification (or as a refresher), here's what happened: On Sunday, June 24th, 1973, only four years after the Stonewall Rebellion, about 60 people were at a gay bar and meeting space called the Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans's French Quarter.

snip

News reports at the time either didn't mention that the Upstairs Lounge was a gay establishment or alluded to the fact that justice was a futile, fruitless pursuit. And newspapers sensationalized rather than humanized the deaths.

snip

No one at the time, and very few today, mentioned that in addition to being a bar, Upstairs Lounge had hosted Sunday services for the Metropolitan Community Church, the first LGBT-inclusive church in the nation

All throughout dummyland one can find statements to the effect that churches, especially mega-churches are a blight on the landscape, and should be thoroughly taxed to the maximum extent possible.  They (churches) are not referred to as 'holy places', until a bar where alphabet people meet is burned.  A bar.

It is tragic that many people died in that fire, but it was a bar that had a secondary function, a meeting place for like-minded people.  It was not a 'holy place'.

[I_B_Perky]

What about a Church that doubles as a bar, Dane????  Best of both worlds and if it is a titty bar? Woo-hoo!!!!  


Just messing with ya a little there, friend.   

[franksolich]

I see that Wills, a scion of affluence and ease, is trying to "relate" to those who suffer (in this case, death by fire).  But why this particular case from forty years ago?  Why not try to "relate" to hundreds and thousands who've been burned to death in sweat-shop fires?

Another case of "we're special because we're gay."

[whiteguyPI]

And the proof they were "murdered"?  Hate to break it to the DUmbasses but people die in fires everyday. Back then it was not uncommon for scores of people to die in fires. Even happens today in lots of other countries. Fire science has progressed exponentially the last 30 years...but people still die in fires. Even homos...

[Ralph Wiggum]

Three gay guys praying does not make it a church.

[Chris_]

Three gay guys praying does not make it a church.

Just because they're on their knees doesn't mean they're praying.

[Ralph Wiggum]

And the proof they were "murdered"?  Hate to break it to the DUmbasses but people die in fires everyday. Back then it was not uncommon for scores of people to die in fires. Even happens today in lots of other countries. Fire science has progressed exponentially the last 30 years...but people still die in fires. Even homos...

To quickly digress, in my reading of baseball history...nearly all the old ballparks were made of wood.  Until the 20's, 30's & 40's.  Point being, damn near every old park burned down...sometimes more than once. 

It wasn't until those evil steel magnates helped build better ballparks that the fires stopped.  Just saying...

[obumazombie]

To quickly digress, in my reading of baseball history...nearly all the old ballparks were made of wood.  Until the 20's, 30's & 40's.  Point being, damn near every old park burned down...sometimes more than once. 

It wasn't until those evil steel magnates helped build better ballparks that the fires stopped.  Just saying...

The better to oppress the unwitting fans into paying higher and higher ticket prices.

[Ralph Wiggum]

The better to oppress the unwitting fans into paying higher and higher ticket prices.

Kind of.

[GOBUCKS]

Look on the bright side. It was 1973.
They missed out on the AIDS epidemic.

[Big Dog]

Just because they're on their knees doesn't mean they're praying.

 

[Delmar]

Even though 32 people died, making it the largest mass murder of gay people in American history, this incident is woefully unknown.

For all we know, the place was burned down by whoever it was that owned it--an insurance scam.  Or a gay-on-gay pansy slash en fuego.

[Bad Dog]

For all we know, the place was burned down by whoever it was that owned it--an insurance scam.  Or a gay-on-gay pansy slash en fuego.

Dead on.

According to the NOLA Times Picayune it was a patron who was ejected from the bar earlier in the evening. Now they run around in their hair shirts screaming about queers being murdered by evil straight people.

[dandi]

Could've been the friction from all those assless leather chaps rubbing together.

[98ZJUSMC]

Could've been the friction from all those assless leather chaps rubbing together.

*digs for mental floss*

[RobJohnson]

Three gay guys praying does not make it a church.

 

[Aristotelian]

Three gay guys praying does not make it a church.

Is that 'praying' or 'preying'?

[diesel driver]

Is that 'praying' or 'preying'?

Yes. 

*digs for mental floss*

*And mind bleach.*

[Ptarmigan]

Dead on.

According to the NOLA Times Picayune it was a patron who was ejected from the bar earlier in the evening. Now they run around in their hair shirts screaming about queers being murdered by evil straight people.

The Up Stairs Lounge Fire: A History
http://upstairsthemusical.wordpress.com/the-up-stairs-lounge-fire/

Located on the second floor of a three-story building at the corner of Chartres and Iberville Streets, the Up Stairs Lounge had only one entrance, up a wooden flight of stairs. That evening the bar held a free beer and all-you-can-eat special, attracting a crowd of almost 125 regulars. About 60 patrons stayed after the event ended, most of them MCC members there to plan an upcoming benefit for the Crippled Children’s Hospital to be held in the bar the next week. 23-year-old David Gary played piano, and bartender Buddy Rasmussen served drinks. Following an altercation, two men, David Dubose and Roger Nunez, were kicked out of the bar. Upon exiting, one of them threatened to “burn them all out.”

Roger Nunez was picked up for questioning and he almost immediately went into convulsions. He was taken into Charity hospital, but soon disappeared. He was seen later in the French Quarter but was never picked up again for questioning. The police and fire marshal at the time concluded that it was an “act of arson.” Nunez committed suicide a year later. Five days after Nunez’s death a friend told investigator that Nunez had told him drunk on four occasions, that he had set the fire. According to his friend, Nunez squirted the bottom steps with Ronsonol lighter fluid and tossed in a match. He didn’t realize, he claimed, that the whole place would go up in flames. The case was left open until 1980 when a spokesman for the fire marshal’s office, Glenn Fontenot, said “After the suspect committed suicide they felt like they’d run out of active criminal leads.”

The suspect is Roger Nunez and he was mentally ill. It was motivated by anger for being kicked out.

[obumazombie]

As a general rule, gays are very vindictive.

[Bad Dog]

As a general rule, gays are very vindictive.

And, great interior decorators.

[diesel driver]

And, great interior decorators.

And, usually, snappy dressers. 

[obumazombie]

And, usually, snappy dressers. 

Great rhythm.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

only four years after the Stonewall Rebellion

Damned anti-government teabaggers!

[Wineslob]

Actually it's now: "Being Gay = Better than Straight"