He Died In An Infamous Arson At A Gay Bar. Now, His Family Is Trying To Find His Remains
Thirty-two people died in the UpStairs Lounge fire in 1973. For decades, Ferris LeBlanc's family didn't know he was among the victims.
Until the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, the deadliest known attack at a gay club in U.S. history was a 1973 arson attack at a New Orleans gay bar called the UpStairs Lounge. Thirty-two people died in the fire, but many families didn’t come forward to claim the bodies of the dead and churches refused to hold funerals for some of the victims.
For 42 years, Marilyn LeBlanc didn’t even know her brother Ferris had died in the fire — until a Google search showed his name on a list of victims. Now, LeBlanc and her family are trying to bring Ferris’ remains home.
Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with Skip Bailey, Ferris’ nephew, about those efforts.
