Memorial plaque stolen from site of Up Stairs Lounge fire

A plaque placed at the site of the 1973 Up Stairs Lounge fire in the French Quarter was stolen Tuesday morning, and New Orleans City Council Vice President J.P. Morrell and gay rights advocates want it found and returned.

The city installed the plaque in the 600 block of Iberville St. in 2003, the thirtieth anniversary of the arson fire, that killed 32 people at the gay nightclub.

Prior to the Pulse Nightclub attack in Florida in 2015, the Up Stairs Lounge fire was recognized as the deadliest attack on LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S.

"I am deeply dismayed to hear that the commemorative plaque for the Up Stairs Lounge tragedy was stolen early this morning," said Council V.P. Morrell. "“Community advocates worked together for years to create a marker that would educate future generations about this tragic moment in local queer history. The queer community has come so far since 1973; I am asking whoever stole this item to please return it immediately so that we can put this incident behind us."

"We are calling on the New Orleans Police Department to expend every effort to recover the plaque and bring the perpetrator to justice," said Frank Perez, Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ Archives of Louisiana. "This incident is a reminder that bigotry and prejudice are still very much alive, and there is still much work to do."

"I call on the offending person, no doubt acting out of ignorance, to return this vital symbol for LGBT+ Americans--and then, please, open your heart and mind by searching the words ‘Up Stairs Lounge gay bar,’" said Bobby Fieseler, author of Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire & The Rise of Gay Liberation .

Anyone with information is asked to contact the NOPD 8th District at (504) 658-6080.