Upstairs chronicles the New Orleans arson fire of June 24, 1973, that killed 32 people at the Up Stairs Lounge, a gay bar known for its affiliation with the LGBT affirming Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). In the months after the tragedy, the fire was virtually ignored by local leaders, law enforcement, institutions, some families of the victims, and the wider world.
“As a gay Louisiana native, I was shocked I had never heard about this crime...