Upstairs Lounge (Historic New Orleans Gay Bar/1970-1973) vintage horror shirt and a clash between mysticism

and a clash between mysticism and American law that felt more like fiction than fact

Before the Castro became the iconic neighborhood it is today

The Smart Bar was a notable LGBTQ+ venue located at 1575 Merwin Avenue in Cleveland's Flats district

Operating from roughly the 1970s through the 2000s

leaving behind a map that only exists if you know where to look

Upstairs Lounge (Historic New Orleans Gay Bar/1970-1973) vintage horror shirt and a clash between mysticismUpstairs Lounge New Orleans, LA (1970 1973) In the early 1970s, Upstairs Lounge stood on the second floor of a French Quarter building at 604 Iberville Street as one of New Orleanss few openly queer bars a gathering place, refuge, and social hub for gay, lesbian, and queer people at a time when safe spaces were rare. It was more than a bar: it was community and sanctuary in an era of pervasive discrimination. On June 24, 1973, during a crowded Sunday