Gay clubs birmingham al
Vacant Birmingham Gay Prevent Devastated By Four-Alarm Fire
Source: BFD / Facebook
On Friday morning, a catastrophic blaze lit the vacant red-painted standalone building at Fifth Road South near Crestwood. The abandoned property was once residence to The Phoenix, before that The Tool Box — gay bars active during the '90's and mids. According to sources, The Phoenix closed its doors for nice in October
Birmingham’s LGBT community on social media via Facebook erupted with tough disbelief, many expressing heart-aching gloom over the fate of the venue never reopening. "That massive cloud of smoke over Crestwood/Avondale is the Phoenix," Don Mills wrote, prompting many people to recall their memories and even toss out the clear ill-timed "phoenix rising" jab. Will Sheppard posted a snapshot from a display from the app NextDoor showing the large inferno from several blocks away. His only words in the caption: "RIP old Phoenix club."
Several hours later, Mills posted a picture of what was left of the rubble, representing only a compact pile of debr
#jmattrant: Black Gays in Birmingham Need Options Too
PICTURED ABOVE: The Florentine building on Richard Arrington Boulevard and Second Avenue North, where Club 21 met from the late ’s until the mid-‘90’s.
The other bedtime, two guys walked into a bar and asked the bartender what options were there out there for black gays in Birmingham. Then I heard the bartender yell my name from across the room. I approached them and was asked to reply to their scrutinize. Since I’ve been branded by some as “Mr. Birmingham” for some haphazard reason, the bartender consideration I would have the answers they needed. Sadly, I didn’t. Not that I didn’t know where they could have gone. It’s because Birmingham has very little options for the urban gay community.
I then asked, “Where are you from?”
“Georgia,” one replied.
Immediately I knew they were from Atlanta. They had a certain look about them. A hip highway swag. And I was right about my assumption. They were getting away from Atlanta for the weekend and wanted a sligh
Traditionally, if you were on the hunt for some LGBTQ+ nightlife in Brum, the Gay Village in Southside would be your go-to spot. But that’s not the case anymore – while the patch is still home to some brilliant queer spaces, there are LGBTQ bars and nightlife venues all across the city today.
From cabaret shows to cocktail bars, live music venues to s car showrooms-turned-clubs (yes, you read that right), there’s a glittering smorgasbord of options across Birmingham – here are our top picks for the best LGBTQ+ clubs.
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This list was written by Jon Cook, a writer based in Birmingham. At Age Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
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The Chapel
The Chapel Bar & Nightclub (formerly Spike's Leather Club) was an LGBT friendly nightclub located at 27th Street South in Lakeview. It was owned by Rod Caldwell, Jeffrey Hall and Ivan Reyes.
Spike's first opened on February 10, in the former Cabbages and Kings building as a bar and specialty shop serving the leather and BDSM community. Unlike most of Birmingham's other gay bars, Spike's didn't feature drag shows. Though it focused on queer leather fetish interests, it welcomed anyone. The business included a desire shop, along with changing rooms for patrons.
The 3, square-foot club had an + watt sound system, dance floor and DJ booth. The club hosted numerous events, including fund-raisers, art classes, and private parties. In the bar was renamed and rebranded, focusing on inclusivity and highlighting monthly theme parties.
After The Chapel closed, the block was reopened as Electra by Marsha Mims.
References
- Poe, Kelly (February 9, ) "What's a leather bar? Here's your first stare at Spike's in Birmingham." The Birmingham News
- Prickett, Sam (Februar