#Gay bar new orleans fire movie
Mitchell's children were visiting from out of town and watched the same movie seven times as they waited for their father's return. Both died in the fire, their remains found clinging to each other. MCC assistant pastor George "Mitch" Mitchell managed to escape, but returned in an attempt to rescue his partner (they considered themselves married based on a civil ceremony they had two years previously), Louis Horace Broussard. His charred remains would be visible to onlookers for hours afterward, recorded in many pictures taken of the front of the building in the aftermath of the 16 minute fire.
#Gay bar new orleans fire windows
Reverend Bill Larson of the MCC removed an air conditioning unit from the bottom of one of the floor to ceiling windows and was attempting to get out when the upper pane of glass fell on top of him, pinning him to the window frame half in the building and half out. The flames on Boggs were extinguished by the owner of a neighbouring bar, but he died on the 10th of July (16-days later), from third degree burns to 50% of his body. Luther Boggs was one who came through the window in flames after pushing his female friend through the gap. Several people managed to squeeze through, some still burning when they reached the ground below. Others saw the floor to ceiling windows as the most promising means of escape despite the fact that there were safety bars on the windows with a 14 inch gap between them to prevent dancers from breaking through the glass. Rasmussen immediately led some twenty patrons out of the back exit to the roof, where the group could access a neighbouring building's roof and climb down to the ground floor. Boggs opened the door to find the front staircase engulfed in flames, along with the smell of lighter fluid. Īt 7:56PM, a buzzer from downstairs sounded, and bartender Buddy Rasmussen, an Air Force veteran, asked Luther Boggs to answer the door, anticipating a taxi cab driver. After the drink special ended, about 60 to 90 patrons remained they listened to pianist George Steven “Bud” Matyi perform and discussed an upcoming MCC fundraiser for the local Crippled Children's Hospital. That night’s beer bust, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, attracted approximately 110 patrons. The MCC was the United States' first national gay Christian fellowship, founded in Los Angeles in 1968 the local congregation had held services in the UpStairs Lounge's theatre for a while.
Members of the Metropolitan Community Church, a pro-LGBT Protestant denomination, were there after service. The club was located on the second floor of a three-story building at the corner of Chartres and Iberville Streets. (Freddy and Inez’ story may remind you of Brenda McCool, who died in the Pulse shooting while saving her son’s life.On Sunday evening, June 24, 1973, over a weekend when Christopher Street “Pride” celebrations took place in seemingly every major American city but New Orleans, the regular "beer bust" drink special attracted its usual blue-collar gay crowd to the UpStairs Lounge. After being beaten by a cop for carrying his wigs and dresses in public, Freddy still puts on a show (heavy on the “Hedwig” overtones), thanks to Wes’ skill at making gowns from trash bags. There is also Puerto Rican drag performer Freddy (Ruben Melendez Ortiz) and his loving mother, Inez (Selene Perez). These include a prayer service for the Metropolitan Community Church led by Richard (Robert Quintanilla), who also pleads for donations to the local children’s hospital as a way of “making allies in the greater community.” This doesn’t sit well with Dale (Eric Lindahl), who reminds everyone frequently of his own homeless status and who clashes early with Wes. But as the show goes through all the different components of what made the UpStairs a community center as much as a watering hole, Wes develops a greater understanding of what it means to be connected in more than the social media sense.
Wes, as you might imagine from his resume, is self-centered in a way that doesn’t sit well with most of the patrons initially.