UpStairs Lounge, Pulse Nightclub, and 941 Saloon — Intersections of Racial Justice, Trauma, and Identity

NATE SMALLWOOD, Tribune Review

In the summer of 2020, a group of activists protested the racist dress code of a local LGBTQ owned bar and restaurant called the 941 Saloon. It was a situation that required a response because this racist dress code disproportionately impacted QTPOC.With the closure of so many LGBTQ owned bars and restaurants, finding a comfortable space is more difficult.

So I applauded the resistance. What took me aback was discovering that activists had duct taped the bar doors shut to hang their signs on the front of the business.

My mind went instantly to two events — the massacre at Pulse in 2016 and the UpStairs Lounge fire in 1973 New Orleans. 48 people, mostly BIPOC queer folx, died at Pulse and scores more were injured. 32 people died at the UpStairs Lounge, 29 within the first few minutes.

The main barroom of the UpStairs Lounge following the flash fire that killed 32 people. (Times-Picayune photo by G.E. Arnold)

I urge you to do some Googling and learn more about both tragedies. Even the way the media covered the incidents is almost like they were from a different world. But you may have to dig deep to realize that the UpStairs Lounge was an integrated (mostly) gay men’s bar. And…