"Robert W. Fieseler at his home office in New Orleans | Provided No one can accuse Robert W. Fieseler of taking the easy road.The journalist and historian's first book, Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation, chronicled the horrific mass murder in a New Orleans gay bar and the extraordinary bigotry exhibited by public officials and religious leaders in the aftermath."
"Relying on a treasure trove of previously undisclosed documents, Fieseler exposes the Johns Committee, a state legislative organization using the cover of anti-communism to attack political opponents. Spearheaded by Charley Johns, a multi-term smear artist in a gerrymandered legislature, the Committee tried to eliminate threats to the hegemony of the state's white, conservative regime just as minority groups were starting to assert power."
The Johns Committee operated as a state legislative body that used anti-communist rhetoric as cover to target political opponents and marginalized communities. The Committee, led by Charley Johns, conducted smear campaigns and investigations aimed at preserving white, conservative hegemony amid growing minority activism. These efforts intersected with violent and tragic episodes—including the Upstairs Lounge fire and other attacks on LGBTQ+ people—that revealed systemic bigotry from public officials and religious leaders. The tactics mirrored later political strategies that demonize marginalized groups to consolidate power. The broader pattern shows a recurring cycle of liberation and backlash within American political history.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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