New Film Documents Worst Mass Killing of Gay People in U.S. History

Thirty-two people were killed and Upstairs Inferno will be the first to interview a number of the survivors who have been silent all these decades.

Forty-one years after the largest gay mass murder in U.S. history, a new filmmaker Robert Camina's eagerly awaited documentary, Upstairs Inferno, tackles the topic. The first trailer for the film has been released (watch below) and the Camina (whose previous documentary was the much-awarded, Meredith Baxer-narrated Raid of the Rainbow Lounge) has launched an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign to help cover the remaining production costs.

On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to a gay bar in New Orleans called the Up Stairs Lounge. Thirty-two people were killed and some bodies were never identified because their families were ashamed that the victims were gay. No one was ever charged with the crime.

Read our feature on the tragedy , and the recent works documenting what happened in New Orleans and the failure of nearly every politician to help in the aftermath. Our feature, "Remembering the Worst Mass Killing of LGBT People in U.S. History," is currently a finalist in the 56th Annual California Journalism Awards, which honor the best in broadcast, print and online media.

Watch the video for UPSTAIRS INFERNO in HD here on Vimeo.

UPSTAIRS INFERNO - Teaser Trailer [HD] from Camina Entertainment on Vimeo.