Thirty-two people died in the blaze that overtook the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans, in what is recorded as the most deadly anti-gay hate crime in the U.S. but is seldom remember widely.
On July 3, attendees at the Metropolitan Community Churches general conference in Chicago marked 40 years since the fire.
Thirty-two people, each holding the name of a fire victim, stood behind international religious leaders, who recounted anti-gay violence across the globe, from Canada to Uganda to New York City.
Rev. Nancy Wilson of MCC recalled learning of the 1973 fire in a phone call.
"One of the things that I remember about it is we didn't know the term 'hate crime' in those days," said Wilson.
Rev. Brent Hawkes of Toronto recounted wearing a bullet-proof vest to marry same-sex couples in Canada.
Rev. Boon Lin Ngeo noted progress on the LGBT rights in recent days with both the Supreme Court's ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act and the announcement that anti-gay organization Exodus International was closing up shop.
But, "Violence against LGBTQ people is far from over," he said, adding that anti-gay U.S. groups were pushing homophobic agendas in Asian countries.
Additional speakers included Rev. Pat Bumgardner, and Rev. Christopher Senyonjo.
Other speakers, invited from the audience, recounted stories of anti-gay violence against themselves and friends.
The group also read off the names of the victims from the New Orleans fire, four of whom remain unidentified.