“Records of much of our gay and lesbian history do not exist, precisely because mainstream newspapers and magazines were either silent or presented a distorted picture.” - Edward Alwood

NEWSWORTHY?

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people do not find themselves represented or recognized as a central part of America’s history. As a marginalized group, they are pushed to the outskirts of society.

Heterosexism and homophobia work to erase any visible homosexual presence. Gay-themed books are removed from library shelves and LGBT history is not included in the standard curriculum in most public schools. News of same-sex marriage and civil rights issues are commonplace, but the media’s coverage of antigay murders and violent crimes continues to be imbalanced and skewed. The majority go unreported.

The following stories and profiles of murder victims represent but a few of the thousands of lives lost because of antigay hate violence. Share these stories. They belong to all of us.

Caution:

Invisible Stories

The Upstairs Lounge

There was only one set of stairs leading up the second-floor from Iberville Street in New Orleans. Inside The Upstairs Lounge, some 65 patrons are gathered to bring an end to the weekend’s gay pride celebrations. The patrons were mostly gay men, a few others, straight allies. Many were members of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC).

Mid-evening, the doorbell begins to ring. As Luther Boggs opens the door a backdraft sweeps up and across the ceiling setting the lounge ablaze and instantly incinerating many of the patrons. Someone had doused the stairs with a flammable solvent. Panic ensues as patrons try to escape from windows that are covered in bars, the gaps between the bars are only 14 inches wide. Some manage to crawl through, but MCC Pastor, Rev. Bill Larson is unable to squeeze through and is consumed by the flames. His body, fused to the metal bars, was left overnight while law enforcement investigated the scene.

In all, 32 individuals lost their lives in what was, until the Pulse Nightclub shooting, considered the nation’s largest mass murder of LGBT people.

Source: Remembering the UpStairs Lounge: The U.S.A.’s Largest LGBT Massacre Happened 40 Years Ago Today, Terry Firma

The White Cadillac

At 11 pm on November, 19, 1980, The Ramrod, a popular leather bar on New York’s Lower West Side, is in full swing. Nestled among rows of rundown warehouses, men are lining up to gain entrance to the club. What would have normally been a night of fun was about to turn deadly. In the dark shadows of West Street, Ronald Crumpley, a former city transit officer, slowly brings his father’s white Cadillac to a stop against the curb across from the bar. As Crumpley steps out of the car, he lifts an Uzi submachine gun off the passenger seat and opens fire on the group of men standing in line.

Loud and rapid popping noises from the Uzi’s high-capacity clips compete with the drumming sounds of disco music as bullets tear through flesh. Within seconds, five men outside the bar are gunned down, blood pooling across the sidewalk. Two of the men, Jorg Wenz and Vernon Koenig, would later die from their wounds.

Ammunition rounds pepper the outside of the building, many bullets find their way into the bar through windows. Inside, bullets strike patrons as they try to find cover. Some men run to a stairway in an attempt to escape the building. As Crumpley jumps back into his car and drives away, he unleashes a second round of bullets at the bar. But the carnage doesn’t stop there.

Racing through the Westside neighborhood, Crumpley pulls the Uzi's trigger unloading more bullets into a small delicatessen injuring three men. As local police race to the scene, Crumpley leaves the confines of his Cadillac and is found hiding under a van in a nearby parking lot. His statement to the police is filled with homophobic rage. “I’ll kill them all - the gays - they ruin everything!”

Source: Straight News: Gays, Lesbians, and the News Media, Edward Alwood

Invisible Lives

Many of the hate crimes and murders that impact the LGBT community remain unknown in the larger culture. These horrific crimes are reminders that it is still not safe for LGBT Americans in many places around the country.