(no subject)
Did you guys know that on June 24, 1973, there was a fire at the Upstairs Lounge (a gay bar in New Orleans) and that the fire killed a bunch of people who were hard to identify because they were afraid of being caught in a gay bar and so they had phony identification with them?
Yeah, me neither. But that book I read that cause all that imaginary internet drama a few days ago, "Murder in the Rue Chartres" by Greg Herren, mentioned the fire, and I've found some more stories about it. You guys should read about it, too.
Why should you read about it? Well, it's always sad to me when I hear about tragedies that I've never heard of before, because when people die, they should be remembered, and this fire is a sad story that shouldn't be forgotten. Some people say "well, it's not like it was a hate crime, and they weren't killed for being gay, so it shouldn't be a big deal, blah blah blah" but those people are missing the point leik whoa. First of all, it's sad that these people were hard to identify because back then there was such a stigma about going to a gay bar that they had phony identification with them. Nowadays, a lot of straight people will go to gay clubs and dance and have fun. It's sad to remember the past, but it's important to remember it, too, right? And people shouldn't die, especially in such a horrible way, without other people noticing and caring. So I'm glad I read that book a few days ago, because it helped open my eyes and now I notice and now I care.
If you want to read more about the fire, you can here: http://www.outandaboutnewspaper.com/article/2022
If you want to watch news footage about the fire, you can here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvvRJNQolYM
Also, this is important, because it describes my life very well:
